Fleeing from the Past
by Anjela Richards
Summary: When the team gets a message at the eleventh hour what will happen to them as secrets are revealed and clues unearthed in a suffocating blizzard of chaos? You love Naru and Mai, right reviewers? :.Sequel but distinct from Chasing the Forbidden.: So do I.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Okay so this time I decided to make a sequel and add some romance. I'm not too in to answering my reviewers just because you guy's ideas throw me off sometimes… but the theme Ghost Hunt gave me some reviewers with some decent suggestions and well, I had fun with the last story so I think I'll give it another shot! Hope you guys like this one. As for me, well it sure does take the heat out of these upcoming summer days.**

"But it's freezing!" Mai whined, hiding herself under her blankets as if Shibuya was there with her and trying to pull them off. "What's wrong with you? What's more, it's like the middle of the night!"

"We don't have time for this Mai, we have a case. So get ready. We'll swing by to pick you up and remember that planes won't do well with liquids. Just bring money to buy toiletries when we get there."

"What are you talking about? Why can't we take a later flight?"

"The tickets were mailed to us."

"What, so you just decided to check the mail at three in the morning?"

"Lin couldn't sleep, so he went through the mail. When he found them we reviewed the case and decided to take it. Why are you complaining anyway? I faintly remember you being the one who said you were happy to go on cases and not to wait as long as last time to take a new one?"

"Well… I…"

"Pack heavy this time. It's going to be a lot colder than this where we're going."

"Where are we going anyway?" Mai yawned.

She waited only to be replied to by the dial tone. She lay there in the darkness for some time thinking about her situation. She laughed but there under the blankets a scowl grew on her face. "Prick."

Mai waited outside her house with everything she needed in her suitcase and carryon bag. It seemed okay at the time but now she really regretted wearing Capri's even with a thick coffee colored and fur rimmed jacket hugging her back. She looked up towards the sky and began to wonder when the sun might come up. As dark as it was she almost wanted to doubt the sun would ever come up again but she knew better. She had more faith in the sun rising than she did in Shibuya and Lin coming to get her before she froze to death.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Mai. It's nice to see you again!"

"Hey John."

Mai smiled, seeing the young priest as he stuck his blonde haired head out of the van window and then back in again, considering the cold. The door was opened for her and as she got in she realized how very cold she was.

"You look like you've frozen over kid. Here, take a blanket; I grabbed a bunch of them. You need a bit of warmth in here you know? Anyway, you may as well go back to sleep okay?" Ayako said, sitting up and helping Mai adjust.

Mai glanced at the front seat where Shibuya and Lin sat quietly going over the map and directions to the airport.

"Hey Ayako, where are we going? What's the case about?" Mai asked, not taking her eyes off Naru as she spread the blanket over her and tried to relax.

"Well, _this time _we don't have any crazy people. The only problem is the house is out there in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō so you can imagine how cold it's going to be. Besides that, this case seems to be kind of simple. Natsume Sasaki mailed Naru a day ago. She's a woman who lives with her husband in the city. However, they also own a cabin out near the mountains that she thinks may be haunted by a young man and a child… _surprisingly_, the husband disagrees. Anyway that's where we come in. They sent us a bunch of plane tickets and judging by the prices they must be pretty desperate. Hope you got some sleep since our last case because I don't think anybody's going to get much sleep from tonight on."

"No, it doesn't sound that bad." Mai said trying to ease the situation.

"Oh really? What easy case has Shibuya _ever_ taken?" Ayako replied.

Mai glanced back at Shibuya one more time before she decided to go back to sleep. Her short-lived vacation was once again over.

The night was shattered. Each hour was something different: picking Houshou up and his humorous complaints about them being at his house so late, arriving at the airport, checking the bags in, waiting for the plane, getting on the plane. It wasn't until sunrise that Mai finally woke up for good.

"Did they explain the trip to you?" Shibuya asked.

Mai woke up slowly and glanced at him. She straightened up a bit, feeling someone hovering over her.

"What the—?"

"If you're going to be awake help me put your seatbelt on." Lin mumbled.

Mai was forced wide awake by what seemed like an earthquake as Lin finished with the seat belt. She sat there for a moment before realizing that the plane had started rolling. She looked from Shibuya to her left to Lin at her right who seemed to be trying to signal an airline attendant.

"You woke me up to tell me that?" she asked irritated.

Shibuya paused. He took a bottle of water and swallowed a few small white pills, "No."

"So why?"

"It's motion sickness. It helps when there's someone to talk to him."

"You're his friend too, Lin. What's wrong, you guys get in a fight?" she asked.

"No, I drove." Lin said as he turned over and leaned against the pillow the attendant gave him.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair."

'_Just wish you picked someone else who was awake to babysit.' _She thought.

"Right, so first, you have any dreams recently?" Shibuya asked.

Mai shook her head. It wasn't an odd question now. He'd asked her ever since that day at the beach before they left Alice's Island. It was like a case by case check up.

"Why?"

"I needed to make sure you haven't picked anything up about the case besides what Ayako leaked to you. She was right, but the case isn't that easy." He told her. "For now, let's just go over the ground rules. Ms. Sasaki will go over the details."

"Got it chief." Mai joked.

"First, stay with the group. Don't go anywhere by yourself, even if I do. If you _must_ come looking for me, bring one of the others."

"_We_ have names." John said awkwardly from behind them.

Mai smiled but agreed, "Alright, what else?"

"If you've never been on a snowy mountain don't let this trip be the first time you get on one."

"Naru, I've been on a mountain before-! And in the snow too, we've all been in the snow!"

Shibuya glared at her before he continued, "Last, stay away from Mr. Sasaki."

"The husband?" Ayako asked suddenly, leaning over Mai's seat to get a look at Shibuya's face. "But he's so…! Oh, so that's why!" she laughed.

"What's why?" Mai asked, wondering what was so funny.

"He's jealous!"

"I'm trying to explain—"

"What? Can't handle us single ladies around a married young man? Well how dare you mister! And how selfish! After all, you refused us for your own face in the mirror!"

Shibuya glared, shaking with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Wow Ms. Ayako, you made Lin laugh… or smile, sort of."

"Great, now can you quiet down? You're attracting a bunch of attention and you're supposed to have your seat belt on." Houshou said, smiling a bit himself.

Ayako took her seat with a wink at Shibuya. She left Mai on the verge of falling apart with laughter, yet she tried not to let him see. Instead she pestered Lin about letting her see his face.

"Come on Lin, I just want to see! It's not even a real smile, right?" Mai said, her voice cracking from the laughter trying to barge its way past her cringing teeth.

"I'm serious Mai; I don't want anyone near him, but especially you. The only problem is that he's a key part of solving this whole thing. I doubt the ghosts will bother us as much as he will." He explained. "They've got some family problems."

"Is it really that bad?" Mai asked.

"It's that serious… anyway, I'm going to sleep. Wake me up after we land."

"Okay… wait but, you guys woke me up to talk to you! You can't just go to sleep!" she reminded him.

She waited a moment before scowling again, "Geez, you know I really hate you sometimes!"

"Don't worry Naru, it's a thin line though." Houshou mumbled, sending all of them into another fit of giggles.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**So thanks again for the reviews. The encouragement really helps me to continue. Hope you all like the story so far... what? I know, I said romance but there's got to be a little horror in there for balance. Enjoy!**

"They've got a nice airport." Ayako said, looking around and snapping pictures.

Mai looked around the crowds of people to admire the airport herself. It was fairly large compared to the one back home, but then she hadn't seen either of the airports in their entirety. For once however, she was glad a large crowd had gathered at the airport that day. It helped with the overall body heat that she seemed to suddenly lack.

The group followed Lin around as they looked for the baggage area. She realized that the closer they got to the entrance the more severe the chilling weather seemed to be.

"Hey Lin, you do know where you're going, don't you?" John asked hesitantly.

"Just follow the signs John. The airport's big so you might get the illusion that we've been walking for a while or even in circles." Houshou asked.

Lin nodded and after a few more minutes they arrived at the baggage area where most passengers had already gotten there to find their belongings. The strange assortments of colors and patterns rolled along like the display of candies in a kid's store. Mai tensed up as she searched her own bag out, hoping it wasn't left behind.

"Mai, I found yours! Grab that black one, it's Naru's." John shouted from the other side of the conveyer belt.

Mai turned and went after the suitcase as Shibuya attempted to chastise John about the nickname Mai had given him. She tried to lift it like a regular suitcase but she only found herself being pulled along. She tried again, more forcefully, and quickly realized what made the bags so heavy.

"You brought all of our equipment? Weren't you even nervous about them taking it out? This stuff is expensive!" she said, struggling cautiously to get it off of the belt. "What if it was damaged? When are we going to have time to get it fixed?"

"That's why John asked _you_ to pick it up. If he took my suitcase off the belt he might break something and then end up working for me because he has to. If you break something, well, we kind of already own you so it wouldn't make much of a difference."

"I thought it was insured!" Mai snapped.

"Oh, right, I forgot we let you in on that." he smirked.

Mai stared at him for a minute, trying to find some way to reply to him. The truth was she'd stopped feeling bad about their camera when she found out Lin's arm was fixed. She was only thankful for the chance to meet them, after all, without that incident she'd still be at school bumming her days away and virtually wasting away to the tune of her routine life. Still, the smirk on his face made her remember the joke he'd played and in the angry memory she opened her mouth to insult him.

"Ah, you must be the research team then. My name is Kouta Sasaki… my wife Natsume sent for you and since you never cancelled the tickets we assumed you were coming. Thanks. Even though I think it's crazy at least she'll have some peace of mind." he said.

Mai forced her mouth closed, although some part of her was begging to answer him. She'd get him back. She had to and besides, she had the whole trip to get her revenge. All she had to do was wait.

Pushing her attention back she turned to study the man before them. He seemed to be unnaturally tall as he even beat Lin when it came to height. He wore a brown sweater vest that matched his messy hair and a long padded black jacket above it. They'd all been stared at him though, and feeling uneasy he turned his green eyes to his shoulder to wipe some of the sleet off.

"My name is Shibuya Kazuya and yes, this is my research team. You didn't need to pick us up from the airport though, your wife sent us an address." He replied.

Kouta shrugged, "I know, I just wanted to make sure I knew who we were dealing with. You can't be too safe when it comes to you Ghostbusters right? I mean, there are a lot of crazy people out there and my family has gone through a lot with this '_haunted cabin_' nonsense. Anyway, what she probably didn't put in the letter was that she also rented a van to help bring you over as fast as possible. To save some money I decided to drive you myself, you know, and it's faster that way."

Lin frowned and walked off. Shibuya didn't even glance at him, but he knew where he was going.

"Unfortunately we also rented a van. I apologize for the waste, but whether it is or isn't all the same to you, we're keeping it. You understand, after all, we do know how some people are. Our clients can be just as insane the people you mentioned—"

Kouta started laughing even before Shibuya had finished. He put one hand on his stomach and playfully punched Shibuya in the shoulder with the other.

"You've got spunk kid, but no hard feelings okay? Don't mind what I say I'm just not a believer. I tell you what; if you're really sorry about the waste why don't you split the load, huh? For instance, I could ride with the priest and the girls." He suggested. "That way the rest of you can spend some guy time together."

John tried not to frown too hard as Kouta poked at him. He said nothing but glanced to Shibuya whose face hadn't shown any other emotion but distrust since he'd seen Kouta. After thinking it over he turned to his group and began, "Houshou, Ayako, do you mind staying behind without me? Lin should be back soon."

"Uh, no but—" Houshou started.

"Then tell Lin that I'll be going ahead to set the equipment up. We'll meet you all there."

Houshou nodded and with Kouta in the lead this time they shuffled to the van. Once their bags were stuffed in and ready to go they sat with Shibuya and Kouta up front in the company of everyone else in the back.

"Hey John, don't let him get to you, okay? He kind of seems like a jerk." Mai explained.

"No, don't worry about me Mai. _'If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.' John 15:20_." He said proudly. "I've dealt with worse than him."

Mai smiled and nodded before Kouta took over again.

"I live a while away, so I guess I have time to explain the case." He said.

"Actually, your wife hired us. I think it would be better to hear the story from her."

"That's fine too. I'll call her up." He said.

As he drove Kouta plugged his phone into the van and began to speak to it, "Call Honeybee."

'_Calling Honeybee.'_

There was a ringing that seemed to hum throughout the van and finally a voice took its place.

"Yes dear, what's wrong this time?" it asked softly.

"Ah, I picked up the paranormal researchers you hired. They want to hear about the case so they can set up when we get to the house."

"You did? Oh… am I on speaker then?"

"Say hello to Ms. Sasaki everyone." Kouta said humorously. No one answered him, "Uh, yes you're on speaker. They can hear you."

"Hello, is Shibuya there? I want to make sure the director is present so I don't have to repeat myself too many times."

"Yes, you're speaking to me. It's nice to hear from you Ms. Sasaki." He said stoically.

"Thank you, um, I suppose I better start with some of the weird things going on. I have them all written down… right, starting back a few years ago I noticed piles of snow appearing in our front yard." she paused as if wondering if she should even continue.

"I'm listening." Shibuya reassured her.

"Next, it gets really very cold in some of the rooms for no reason. Even with the heater on, it feels like we're up in the mountains. Just a year ago in June we noticed crayon marks at the bottom of the walls." She said, somewhat excited, "They were cute. We have pictures of them."

"Is that everything?"

She hesitated again, "Except recently, it's gotten violent."

"Oh come now Natsume!" Kouta griped. "This is getting ridiculous!"

"They need to know everything Kouta!" she said suddenly and sternly continued. "We spotted a man in white. He sits at the edge of this grove of trees beside our house. Ever since then we've noticed some damage to the van. Last Tuesday for instance someone broke a window. A few weeks ago Kouta heard someone scratching the doors while he was pulling into the driveway. It stabbed an icicle into the wheel… there are so many terrible incidents. I wanted to make sure Kouta didn't get the van fixed but since he picked you up I guess he didn't listen to me."

Kouta scratched his head lightly and stole a glance at Shibuya who stared at him suspiciously.

"If you didn't believe in ghosts why'd you get your van fixed?" he asked.

"Hey, think about it! I needed to get around. A man can only sit in the house for so long before he goes crazy—besides it wasn't a ghost. It was probably just some stupid kids playing a joke."

Kouta smiled skeptically at the researchers but they didn't return the gesture. Instead Shibuya asked Ms. Sasaki to continue.

However Mai had stopped listening after Natsume started to explain the things wrong with the van. The only thing she wanted to do at that point was to get out of there before she started feeling sick.

"Are you alright Mai?" John asked.

"I'm fine."

"Don't let it get to you."

Mai smiled and shrugged, "You know any verses that deal with fear?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Chapter three is here. Hope you all like it. I went through a lot of grief over here to upload it so please review. Otherwise you'll make me cry! No, not really, but I'd really appreciate it if you would. I love hearing from you guys so thanks! And thank you for all those who reviewed already!**

The ride was longer than they expected. It was colder too as they got farther out of the city. Sleet clogged the window sill so most of the cold was kept out but that which got through the half repaired windows seeped in anyway, wiping out any warmth that came near Mai and John. They huddled together for heat instead, shivering and pale, and laughed every so often when they noticed their own red cheeks.

Also, the cabin was larger than any of them expected. There is a picture that comes to mind when someone thinks of the word _'cabin'_ however it was nothing like that with the exception of the raw wooden exterior and the log chimney that shot out on the side. Everything else screamed Californian condo.

"This is a cabin?" John asked, "Are you sure it's not a lodge?"

"I don't think so. It's too small to be a lodge." Mai replied quietly.

Kouta pulled into the parking lot and sighed peacefully. "Here it is! Welcome to our winter home."

"Don't most people go somewhere warm during the summer?" John asked.

"Well kid, Honeybee likes the winter weather. Personally I agree with you but after you get married you don't have much of a choice in things." He said and got out to help with the bags.

Mai attempted to do the same but they didn't seem to need her. She watched them take the bags inside instead until she got bored and left to find a room to stay in.

"Hey girly, this place is big but it has a limited number of rooms. There are only three open so I don't know how you guys want to fit together. Before you get comfortable you should check in with the director." He said, passing her to show Shibuya a number of rooms he could use as a base.

"Just keep surveying the house. It might do you some good to be exposed to the area." Shibuya said.

Mai looked around again and sighed, "I'll go on a reconnaissance mission!"

"On second thought, it would be better if you got some rest. Everyone else won't arrive until later tonight so there's no point in sending you off by yourself since I might need John."

"What time is it now?" she asked.

"Four twenty in the afternoon. You guys had a long flight and the drive here was another hour." Kouta paused and smiled at her confused face, "You didn't think it was strange to look out and see buildings one minute then blink and see trees? You must be out of it."

"Well, I did wake up early." She said sneaking a glare at Shibuya before crossing her arms. "So I'll investigate in the dream world. Wake me up when the others get here… oh, but then, where am I sleeping?"

"Just pick a room. I'll find you later."

"Yeah, forget what I said about the rooms. You can even come with us to find a base and sleep there Alice." Kouta said playfully.

"Alice?" Shibuya and Mai asked together.

There was a flash of memories that passed before Mai's eyes. She shot a glance at Shibuya yet somehow he seemed to instruct her to keep quiet about their past cases.

"_Alice in Wonderland._ You know, the little blonde girl in the blue dress who falls asleep and ends up in that dream world?" Kouta laughed, "It was a joke."

"Well it wasn't funny!" Mai said.

"Geez, I'm sorry kid. I don't mean any harm. Uh… anyway I'll show you to the library. You think that'll be okay to use?"

"It's perfect. After that we can handle things from here. You can go home."

Kouta blinked as if insulted and shrugged weakly. He guided them to the library, glancing back restlessly a few times but said nothing until they arrived.

"I think it might be better if I slept on a bed. This armchair is kind of small."

"The van was small too but you slept in it. Anyway you'll at least be safe here where we can see you. …Mr. Sasaki," Shibuya continued.

Kouta looked up at him as if he hadn't heard anything since they'd gotten there.

"Yeah kid?"

"You can go home."

Kouta stared undisturbed for a moment before he gave half a smile, "Of course. Sorry for being in the way. My wife will be here in a few hours so make yourselves at home. I'll be seein' ya!"

As Kouta left Mai could nearly see a change in Shibuya's appearance. He relaxed and sat down as if he'd gotten light headed from holding his breath too long. Feeling the silence himself he glanced at her and frowned a bit.

"Don't get mad at him if you're going to say things like, _'I'll investigate in the dream world.'_"

"Don't criticize me–you don't like him anymore than I do!"

Shibuya turned, refusing to answer to her about it. He crossed his arms as if deep in thought for what seemed like hours. Neither of them said anything until it seemed Mai had gone to sleep and the whole world grew collectively silent for her.

"Mai, I appreciate you being here." He said, only a crack in the endless silence.

Mai felt as if she'd started dreaming and propped herself on the arm of the chair to make sure what she heard was real. She couldn't break her gaze on him despite the fact he wasn't even looking at her and she tried to fight the smile on her lips, the beam in her eyes, but it wouldn't go away. In case he was joking she thought hard and prolonged her response, "Sometimes I wonder if that's really true."

"Strange, you've doubted me before." He said, tilting his head slightly on his fist and resting his eyes.

"Don't be so sure. There's been all kinds of times that I thought you were wrong; and every time you prove yourself right I'm reminded that you plain out refuse to be anything but."

"Then I guess I'll have to prove myself again." He said promptly.

She wanted to pull away now more than ever as he turned his cold blue eyes towards her. She wasn't hurt by them; instead they seemed to freeze her in place yet melt her from the inside. She rested her head on her hands to hide her blush.

"Hey, Naru…" she started.

Shibuya looked away in time to catch John walking around the corner with some suitcases. He stopped in the doorway and seeing the both of them he attempted to retreat.

"John."

He paused and smiled a bit uneasily, "Hey guys! Glad you found a base—I'll just put these here then while you set up and—"

"You need help with the bags?" Shibuya asked.

John wanted to say no but the muscles in his arms were very persuasive. He scratched his head regretfully and shrugged, "It would be helpful but I think I could handle it if I had to. Plus Lin and the others should be here any minute right?"

Shibuya stood and left anyway. John looked somewhat apologetically towards Mai but she only blushed and waved him off. He stared at her wondering if she really wasn't bothered by the interuption and followed after Shibuya.

"It's not like I really like him anyway." she told herself. "He's just... my boss. Nothing more and nothing less."

She turned over in the armchair and tried to wipe the smile off her face so she could go to sleep. Still, there was no helping it. It stayed with her even until she was shaken conscious again.

"What…? Is everyone here?" she asked.

She saw him again, his cold eyes warming slightly as he motioned her to follow.

"No, not yet. Come with me, I need to show you something." He said taking her hand.

Mai frowned a bit and followed him outside into the snow where he pointed the van out to her. She looked closely and smiled, though confused.

"You drew pictures on his van? I know you don't like him Naru, but don't you think this is kind of silly. What is this, crayon?" she giggled as she poked at the colorful butterflies and teddy bears.

Mai turned to face him but she paused feeling dizzy from turning so fast. She blinked a few times and jumped, seeing Shibuya's hand on her shoulder while Houshou and Ayako stood behind him in the library.

"She's cute when she's sleeping! Don't you agree Naru, Houshou?" Ayako said, poking at Houshou's ribs.

Houshou agreed and laughed with her, "Our little girl is apart of the team, remember Ayako? Have some respect."

"Mai, are you awake?" Shibuya asked.

Mai nodded and sat up slowly, "Yeah, you know something?" she asked.

They all looked at her as she yawned, "I bet you really do draw like a little girl."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Sorry for taking so long. I had a serious final project attack at school but now that it's summer I can write the days away! Here's chapter 4 and the other chapters should proceed on schedule. Thank you for all the reviews, please keep them up!**

Mai followed Shibuya around until he led her to the main room in the front of the house. Everyone was there in their pajamas watching a young woman dressed in nurse's attire. When she saw Mai her darkened face lit up.

"You guys were right, she is cute! What are you, in high school?" she asked.

Mai stared at the woman confused for a moment before she took a glance at Shibuya, "Cute?" she asked.

"Mai, you're going to shadow Ms. Sasaki today. Just keep an eye out for anything suspicious until she returns home. You shouldn't have any problems or unwanted guests, but if you do just call me. The town she works in is a lot closer than the airport." He replied.

"Shibuya, thank you. You've been a huge help to my nerves lately. I know you'll figure out what's going on." Natsume said cheerfully. "How old is she, anyway?"

"I'm only a little younger than he is—Naru how is this going to help anything—"

"There you go doubting me again." He mumbled.

Mai stopped in mind sentence and decided to go along with it. She nudged him with her shoulder and crossed her arms as Natsume smiled at her.

"I'm seventeen. I started here when I was sixteen though. Anyway… it's kind of late. What kind of work do you do?" she asked.

"Late…? It's about six in the morning sweetie."

Mai stared at her in confusion before she turned again to Shibuya and the others as they got ready to work. He turned from her and tried to concern himself with something.

"But I asked—Naru! You were supposed to wake me up when everyone else got here!"

"It was easier to let you sleep. Oh, and that reminds me, all the rooms are taken. You'll have to sleep in the library with Lin and me." He replied. Mai blushed slightly but Shibuya frowned, "Unless you can get one of them to switch with you."

"I will!" Ayako said from across the room.

"Anyone except Ayako."

"Wait, how about you talk about this later? I've got to be at the hospital soon. Why don't you go get ready and I'll meet you in the car." She said.

Mai hesitated before she nodded and hurried back to the library where her bags were. She grumbled but put on her jacket and a pair of jeans. There wasn't much time to do much else so she finished washing up and rushed back down the stairs.

"Have fun." His voice was so quiet among her chaos that she wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't added that lasting bit of sarcasm. Still she had no choice but to ignore him seeing as Natsume was waiting for her outside beside the car. She looked up at Mai and smiled.

"Sorry for making you wait!" Mai said.

"It's no problem… so, Kazuya says you can see ghosts in your dreams… did you see any last night?"

"I don't think so. Why?" she replied, relaxing a little.

"Well, I use to dream of a little girl after my miscarriage. I sometimes wonder if she's my baby. It's possible, right?" she asked.

Mai shrugged, "I don't remember the difference between what's possible and what's not. Who can say?"

Natsume turned to her and opened the door, "Well, that's enough of that. Let's go ahead and get some distance behind us. My job's close so don't get too comfy!" she said.

Mai went with her, yet she couldn't get her own words out of her head. The thought that anything was possible was too strong for her in that moment. Where was the limit? After seeing the things she'd seen she couldn't tell anymore. Just a year ago she would have laughed at ghosts while secretly wondering if they existed. Now she was sure of them and yet she lost the ability to tell the difference between reality and fiction.

They arrived at the hospital quietly but a few hours of working made them fast friends. Natsume was kind and uplifting despite her darkened appearance. She shared her husband's dry humor but kept a good eye on keeping it light and apologetic. She seemed to have a growing interest in Mai and above all she was very interested in the idea of her unconventional teenage life.

That was why Mai was happy to see Natsume's attitude calm down. A few hours before it was time for them to return she became quiet and reserved, "Well my belle, you can't go everywhere with me. Why don't you check in on your little friends while I check in on this patient?" she asked.

"No, they'll be okay without me. I'll just wait here until you get back." Mai replied cheerfully.

Natsume left her in the hallway to wait in silence. Unlike most of the other rooms Natsume made no sound as she went in and closed the door behind her. It seemed she had gone in and frozen in the doorway. Mai waited and waited but Natsume didn't come out. It seemed as if hours passed and just as her curiosity was about to make an attack, a young man walked up to her with a small bunch of flowers.

"You waitin' for him?" he asked.

Mai stared and like Shibuya's his eyes seemed to trap her. He was different though, and she was sure she was awake. "Him? No, the nurse is a woman." She said, pointing to the door.

He laughed, "No, the patient, Chiaki." Mai shook her head slowly as he continued laughing. "Then why are you standing there?"

"I'm waiting for the nurse. I'm shadowing her today." She replied.

"Shadowing a nurse huh? That's sad… they have the most unfortunate jobs." He said, "And especially this one… trust me, _you_ don't want to be a nurse."

"Yeah, you're right. Still I'm just shadowing her today. Don't pay any attention me." She said.

He smiled gently and running his hands through his hair he gave her a flower, "I couldn't help it." He replied.

"Excuse me ma'am, may we help you?" a group of nurses yelled from across the hall.

Mai turned to them and shook her head weakly. She'd forgotten about any guy other than Shibuya and at that point she didn't want to mistake flirting for being nice. "I'm fine, but thank you!"

"Ma'am, if you're trying to scare the other visitors we're going to have to ask you to leave." the other one replied sharply.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Maybe she's a patient here Margaret." one of the nurses suggested.

Mai blushed in embarrassment and tried to defend herself but they wouldn't listen to her, "I don't care she's scaring the visitors!" the nurse replied.

Both nurses clammed up as Natsume returned from the room. She blinked in confusion, seeing Mai so close to the door and turned to look at the nurses who were harassing her. "Is there a problem here?" she asked.

"N-no Ms. Sasaki. We're very sorry to have disturbed you… it's just that girl—"

"Mai, do you know what they're talking about?" she asked.

"No, I was just talking to him when they started yelling at me—" Mai turned to the young man, but he was gone. "Well great, he's gone now. Probably thinks I'm crazy or something." Mai grumbled as she poked at the flower. She was so embarrassed she didn't know what else to do.

Natsume shrugged and put her hand on Mai's shoulder, "Just forget about him. Besides, you've got Naru to worry about back home right?" she said.

"Yea I guess— I— no I mean— we're just friends Ms. Sasaki." she said, blushing harder now.

Natsume smiled and winked back at her, "Of course, I get it."

Mai opened her mouth to speak but Natsume twirled around cheerfully and motioned her to follow. "Come along Mai. We'll talk later when we're both sure that neither of the nice young men can hear us." She giggled.

Mai followed halfheartedly and wondered now which was more embarrassing, following after her, or being harassed by the nurses. She stared at the flower and paused to think about Shibuya. He wasn't plain about it, but she knew he must have liked her at least a little. For that slice of hope she willingly tossed the flower and tried to forget about it.

After a long day of trying to pry information out of Natsume, Mai was happy to be getting back to the cabin with the rest of the group. She hadn't done as great a job as she wanted to, but she hoped Shibuya wouldn't notice. It was Natsume who'd done the prying most of the time and Mai's life that had somehow been dissected and analyzed.

What she didn't know but quickly found out was that Shibuya had yet again tricked her. Natsume had no idea what was going on in her house, which was why she'd mailed Shibuya in the first place. In actuality Shibuya just needed to keep both of them on a side burner for the first day they were there and he couldn't do that unless they had someone other than him who sparked their interest.

"Home sweet home… well, no, not really." Natsume said, tired now. It seemed that all her energy had been used up. "You all ready to go ghost hunting?"

Mai laughed, "Actually besides seeing spirits I usually just watch the cameras. The others do the real work around here." She said regretfully.

"Well, if it helps, you really did me a favor today Mai. I haven't been able to work happily in weeks." She said.

"Being a nurse is a sad job though, isn't it?" she asked.

Natsume stared at the wheel for a while in silence. Her voice broke, but she replied, "Yeah, it is."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry!" Mai said uneasily.

Natsume smiled and shook her head as she wiped her tears away quickly, "No you're okay. My son said that to me once a while back. You sounded like him just now. Anyway go ahead sweetie. Tell Naru I'll see him later. Maybe we'll get him to come with us tomorrow, huh?" she said cheerfully.

Mai smiled a bit and nodded to be polite. She slipped out of the car and waved goodbye to Natsume who only smiled and watched her until she got to the door.

"Welcome back Mai." Kouta said.

Mai felt as if she'd stopped breathing for a moment but coughed the feeling away, "Mr. Sasaki… um, where is everyone?" she asked.

They're inside. Come on in, it's cold out here. Where's my wife?" he asked.

"I'm going back home. Don't be here too long harassing them. You're not needed Kouta." She called dryly.

"Yeah, I guess not. I'll be home later honeyb—" he paused as she rolled up the window and waved innocently to Mai.

"There you are Mai. Come in, Ayako made us all some tea and well, you look like you could use some." John said from behind Kouta.

Mai hurried around him to follow John up the stairs, "You guys miss me?" she asked.

"You have no idea. Naru's always nicer when you're around." He said.

Mai smiled to herself. Although she felt like she'd failed a mission, it was nice to know she was a winner around her friends. She walked into the library and smiled seeing everyone busy with their respected jobs. She was home with them and for the first time the entire day she felt she understood the difference between what was real and what was fake in her life.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Chapter 5 is here! Hope you all love it! It's pretty good I think (kinda long), or at least it should be. It took me long enough. So please don't forget to review! I really love hearing from you all… seriously. I check my yahoo everyday just to see if there's a review in my inbox. Enjoy!**

Mai took her place helping Lin test the cameras in the library while Shibuya thought of his next plan in action. All of the researchers were exhausted from the flight, yet none of them felt the need to bother Shibuya about it considering he was the one who'd slept the least. Instead they lounged around, silently dependant on Mai's mention of the need.

"So, now that the cameras are up and running, what do we do?" Mai asked.

"Well," Housho started, "Ultimately we're waiting on Naru's directions. Otherwise we're all on standby. There's been no paranormal activity since we got here, but somehow I think we all know we're dealing with something in this house. You can just feel it, right?"

Mai wondered to herself about it, but she didn't feel any different besides the sudden discomfort of knowing something might have been watching her. She smiled uneasily and shrugged, "I don't feel anything."

"Really?" Ayako asked, "That's surprising. It's a pretty strong feeling."

"Like I said, I feel fine. Usually I start feeling sick, or upset, but I'm okay. Can't we just pretend like there's no ghost until we find some evidence?"

"No, you've got it backwards. If we do that when we find one you'll be twice as scared as you are now." Ayako said.

Mai sighed but discarded the advice almost instantly. She waited, listening to the subtle changes in sound distribution before Shibuya sat up suddenly.

"Figure something out?" Houshou asked.

Shibuya crossed his arms and shook his head. He was alert yet he started dwindling in energy again. "I already have a plan, I just need to pick the right teams for you all to go in…" he said quietly.

"It's taken you a while to team us up. I mean, _we_ could have done that." Houshou mentioned.

"Naru, you think that could wait until tomorrow? You look exhausted." Mai said.

Shibuya shook his head no, but that was the chance everyone else was waiting for.

"Are you sure? You only got a few hours of broken sleep. You don't think even a cat nap might help?" Ayako asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"If anything will happens we've got the cameras running... for the most part. A short break could do some good." John suggested.

Shibuya glanced around the room in a split second and frowned slightly. He sighed and contrary to what they thought he might, he refused again, "I said I'm fine. If you guys feel like taking the day off to sleep then go ahead, but stay on standby."

With a passing glance Ayako, Houshou, and John all rose uniformly and left as a small group before Shibuya could change his mind. They hardly made another sound before Mai could hear their doors being shut. By then it was too late to persuade Shibuya to get some rest and knowing this they felt no guilt in their failure to get him to take a nap. Mai turned to Shibuya again.

"How long were you all awake last night?" she asked.

"About the entire night. The wiring in this place was a mess. We had to call Kouta and when he tried to _'help' _we were set back a few hours. The way they were this morning was due to the coffee Natsume brought when she came to pick you up." He replied.

"Then you haven't slept much either, have you?" she asked.

Shibuya didn't respond, but he didn't have to. Instead Lin dropped his work for a moment to glance at him, "She's right. You're no good when you're half asleep anyway." He said stoically.

"That's not what I meant, it's just, you look beat."

"…Lin, will you be awake?" he asked.

"No, I'll probably go to bed in an hour or so to get ready for the night shift. Stop worrying about Mai, she'll be fine." Lin replied, almost sternly.

Shibuya sighed. He leaned back in the armchair and turned from the both of them thoughtfully, "Mai, are you going to be awake?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll probably watch the cameras while Lin's asleep."

"No, you'll fall asleep." he said. "Can you find something we can all eat? We haven't stopped for any real food since getting off the plane."

Mai thought to herself and nodded half heartedly, "Alright, I'll figure something out." She said.

Shibuya remained silent then and Lin returned to testing the cameras. He glanced at Mai who'd frozen up since the conversation and for a while he left her there thinking. Finally, when he was sure Shibuya was asleep and the cameras were all set he sighed.

"You're on your own then. It's six o'clock. If you're going to cook please wake us up to eat before nine. I'll eat during my shift so don't worry about me. Lastly…" Kouta frowned slightly, "…he shouldn't, but if Kouta does manage to come by wake me up immediately."

"And if I see any ghosts?" Mai asked.

Lin stared at her as if trying to figure out whether she was joking or not. She sat there attentively waiting for a reply and when he realized she was quite serious he looked away slightly, "You see spirits all the time in your dreams, right? What do you do then?" he asked.

Mai thought about it as Lin lay down on the couch. She wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, but she left the room and tried to put the thought of anything paranormal out of her mind. It wasn't the best time to think about spirits as she was seemingly alone.

To her surprise, Natsume had already taken the liberty of stocking the refrigerator. It looked like a model on the inside with the exception of a small note attached to the carton of milk:

_Kazuya Shibuya,_

_I hope this will help you all to focus while researching. I don't know what you like to eat, so I bought some basics. You probably won't have time, but if you do I have recipes in a file next to the cookbooks. Good luck and thank you again._

_Natsume Sasaki_

Mai smiled to herself and somewhere along the line she decided to really try her best to cook something everyone would be happy with. She found an apron and a recipe but by the time she managed to get everything ready she lost her determination. Instead she felt like she was forcing herself into manual labor and that Natsume had given her some false encouragement about the whole endeavor.

Still she continued working and once she got to a point where she could relax a bit she sat down, exhausted.

With everything taken care of she left her mind idle until it rested on the very topic she'd been avoiding: the paranormal. It didn't make sense to her, how an empty house could seem so scary after all she'd been through but the situation hadn't changed since she'd started working. She was still afraid of the bumps in the night, the shadows in a dark room, what seemed like a whisper when she was all alone. All of these things sent chills down her spine, perhaps even more now that she knew what some spirits were capable of.

With that final thought she stood and attempted to return to the kitchen.

"Hey Mai." a voice called from behind her.

It was so loud among the silence that Mai left out a shriek of terror. She covered her mouth and turned, shaken and embarrassed.

"Whoa… okay… um, are you alright?" Kouta asked hesitantly.

She nodded, partially in shock, "What are you doing here?" she asked a bit aggressively.

"Slow down, I'm just here to pick up a few things for my wife. She didn't know you'd have to put cameras in _all_ the rooms and she's got some items she'd rather keep a little closer… you understand? No offense to you or your little team members." He said.

"Then why are you in here huh? Aren't all the rooms upstairs?" she asked a little louder than she planned to.

"Hey now, this is my house first of all. I can go wherever I want. Second no, not all the rooms are upstairs, not that it's really any of your business, princess. If you had helped set up you might know that." He said.

Mai fell silent and took a step back, "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. You kind of spooked me. Go ahead, but if you could stay out of the kitchen that would great." She said softly.

"The kitchen… why?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm cooking." She replied, "You can't tell?"

"I guess so… smells good… You know Mai, I feel like everyone in this group hates me enough. Can we at the least be on good terms?" He asked. Mai wasn't really sure how to respond, but before she could think of anything he held out his hand to shake hers, "I'm Kouta Sasaki, and I'd really love it if we could start over."

Mai glanced at his hand and seeing as it was rude for her to just stand there she walked over to shake it, "I'm Mai Taniyama." She replied. "Also if you're really serious about getting the others to like you take it easy on the jokes. No one likes insults but especially not Naru."

Kouta stared for a moment and smiled, "Who your leader? You've got a thing for him huh?" he asked. Mai attempted to take her hand back but instead she found herself stuck.

"What…? N- no, besides it's inappropriate to talk about him that way. He's my boss." She said.

Kouta sucked his teeth and smiled again, "But we know the truth right? Don't worry about it. By the way, you want to know a secret?" he asked.

Mai tried to relax but her heart was beating too fast to let her calm down. She tried to pull her arm away but he held onto her firmly. She tried again but he pulled her closer.

"Let me go!" she shouted.

"I don't like the little prick. There are worse names for me to call him but I'll restrain myself seeing as you're a lady. Now then, do me a favor okay Mai? If you find anything let me know. But by the end of the week if you guys don't come up with anything I want you all out of here." He pushed her into the wall.

With a frown he attempted to continue but quickly straightened up. He waited by the staircase in Mai's frightened silence until Shibuya came down, tired but seemingly happy for once. He reached the bottom of the stairs and seeing the both of them he was instantly on guard.

"Mai!" he said almost involuntarily.

"Are you alright? Again, I'm really sorry I scared you… you might want to think of another line of work though. Spooks are a big part of this research, aren't they?" He asked.

"Kouta!" Shibuya demanded.

He turned innocently and smiled, "I was wondering where you were…" he said.

"Get out." Shibuya replied harshly.

Kouta blinked, caught off guard himself and laughed a bit, "You can't kick me out of my own home!" he told him.

"This house is in the name of Natsume Sasaki. Get out or I'll call the police." He demanded more seriously. "I don't suggest fighting me on this."

Kouta glanced from Shibuya to Mai and shuffled his feet. He put his hands in his pockets and smiled, "Sure I'll save it for later then. Don't mess with me kid, I just had to pick up some stuff so I'm already out of your hair." He replied, leaving the both of them in a heavy silence.

Shibuya turned to Mai then hearing a bump. He attempted to catch her as she collapsed.

"Mai—what happened?" Shibuya asked. "Are you alright?"

"…nothing, he just scared me… he pushed me but…" she almost couldn't breathe, as if her words were getting caught in her throat as she tried to keep the tears from coming down her cheeks. "I think we need to leave." She said fearfully.

She felt Shibuya's hand on her cheek and without the slightest thought she hugged him, hiding her face in his chest. If she was able to see his face she'd know that he was blushing but she was scared and all she could think about was what could have happened if he hadn't come at the moment he did.

"Mai…" he paused and took a breath. "Calm down for a minute. Concentrate on me for a while. You're okay…" he said gently.

They both sat in silence until Mai was calm enough to speak and even then she didn't want to. She wanted to sit there motionless and hide forever. Still Shibuya got her to loosen up and explain herself.

"He wants us out…" she said bluntly.

"I know that, but—"

"I'm fine Naru. Really, he just scared me… I think it could have been a lot worse you know, like if you hadn't been awake to hear us." She said.

"Actually I didn't hear you down here. I smelled food and woke up." He replied.

Mai giggled involuntarily and though it was unlike him Shibuya chuckled as well.

"Either way, I'm happy you were here." she said.

Shibuya smiled and hearing hurried footsteps down the stairs they both watched as John appeared with Ayako behind him.

"Hey Mai, did you cook?" John called before glancing over to the both of them.

He stared and blushed before trying to push Ayako back up.

"What is it—John, stop playing on the stairs! You know how dangerous that is!" Ayako grumbled with a yawn.

"N-no, trust me, it'll just be easier if we come back later—" He tried to explain before he heard Shibuya's voice.

"John."

They heard the young priest sigh as he hesitantly waved at them. "Oh hey guys... so did you need help with the food or…"

"Yeah, why don't you help us set up?" Mai asked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Chapter 6. Thanks for all the awesome reviews! Please keep them up! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. It's not as long, but know that I thought of you all when I wrote it. Also, on a side note for all of you who don't know who Gene is I'll explain later. On another note for those of you who do please be patient with me. This may not be how we find out about him in the manga, but this story is based on the anime so… yeah. **

After dinner the team continued as normal. Lin started his shift and the others went back to sleep after watching John bless the house. It was against his wishes, but he did so anyway. He knew blessing the house could awaken activities that had previously lain dormant, but Shibuya was fine with this. At that point any evidence that supported the haunting of the house could possibly be the thing that kept Kouta at bay.

Mai and Shibuya stayed quiet about his last intrusion. It wasn't a secret, but at the same time Shibuya wanted to keep his team clear of too much negativity which could be dangerous when dealing with the paranormal. Besides, Mai didn't want to talk about it. She was happy Shibuya didn't pressure her to explain any further. It would just fade into her memories where her frightening memories hid, waiting for her mind to become idle.

"You don't mind sleeping in here with us, right?" Shibuya asked.

"No… but Ayako has her own room. Wouldn't it be easier for me to stay with her?" she asked.

"No, she's a deep sleeper. A tornado could burst through the room and she wouldn't know anything about it until she woke up the next morning. By then it's too late." he said.

Lin paused noticeably and continued typing.

"Are we expecting a tornado?" she asked slightly uneasily.

"No, but we never do. Anyway, if you're not comfortable on the couch Lin and I can sleep by the door. We don't mind." He explained.

Lin paused again, but less noticeably.

"No, that's crazy." Mai laughed.

"She's right, speak for yourself Kazuya." Lin mumbled.

Shibuya ignored his dear friend. "Anyway don't change your mind after I fall asleep. I won't move again until morning. Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive. I'll go to bed too once I'm ready. Just make sure I have a couch to sleep on, I don't care which one." She said.

Shibuya agreed and returned to where he slept. Mai watched him for a while before going off to take a shower. As she made her way back to the room she hurried. Any sudden sounds scared her and any tricks her eyes played made her remember the day all over again. She returned during the aftermath of an arguement. The couches were pushed to the dimmest part of the library. Lin looked slightly amused when he saw her confusion.

"Kazuya kept complaining about the lamps. Too bad you weren't here to hear him whining. It might have made a good memory for your relationship." He stated stoically.

Shibuya began to say something but Lin put headphones over his ears and turned up the volume so high they could clearly hear the silence of each alternating room.

"Still acting like a little kid, huh Naru?" she laughed. "First the crayons and now this."

Shibuya frowned as she laughed. Once she was sure he was ignoring her she took a pillow and looked around for something to cover up with. There was the option of going downstairs to find one, but she wouldn't take the chance of going by herself. Seeing his jacket she was happy to realize she didn't have to.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, refusing to turn around.

"I needed a blanket. You don't mind right…?" she asked.

He said nothing again and turned over on his stomach thoughtfully. His eyes gazed up at the ceiling, cold and bright like stars and Mai gazed at him as she started to fall asleep.

"No, but you do know we have blankets right?" he asked.

"I do now." Mai said thoughtfully.

"Feel like trading?" he asked.

"No, I like your jacket better." She said.

Shibuya smiled and for once she was happy to recognize him the way she did every time she fell asleep at night. She didn't care about his comments to the contrary; she needed to believe that they were one in the same.

"Kazuya, I wish you'd smile more often." She said softly.

It stunned him for a moment. His smile even faded for a while as her words passed again and again in his mind. He was speechless, but by the time he was able to come up with something to say she'd fallen asleep.

"I'm sorry." He replied.

"Then smile more often. You act as if showing emotion is going to kill you." Lin mumbled. "It's not okay for you to share her with Gene."

Shibuya sat up to watch Lin sit in his own hypocrisy. He had half a mind to reply but Shibuya didn't want to risk waking Mai up. He turned over and shunned him until the next morning. He'd get him back, and if not it didn't matter. Lin was right.

While Mai slept she had a dream. She didn't expect to, but being outside in front of the house suddenly clued her in. No one came out to greet her besides the snowflakes that tumbled down and she was cold despite the fact her body was still in the library.

"Hello?" Mai asked awkwardly. There was no reply. She heard footsteps behind her. She turned but saw no one. "Is anyone here? What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

Someone dragged their feet and then ran off in a fit of giggles. When Mai turned again she saw the small footprints in the snow covered grass and the flash of a pink raincoat around the side of the house.

Without much of a choice she followed it, the giggles, the footprints, and the flash of pink. When she arrived at the backyard she found a little girl with a handful of snow. By the time she knew to run the ball exploded in her face, causing her to fall on the frozen pavement.

"Leave him alone! He's my new friend!" she said eagerly.

Mai wiped the freezing mess off of her face. She glared at the child and got up off the ground, "What are you talking about—" she started.

"Gene is my new friend, you can have Hiroki instead." She explained.

"Who's Gene?" Mai asked.

"He's mine!" the little girl cried, turning her back on Mai. Her small pigtails flung to the side and she crossed her arms haughtily. "Aren't you jealous?"

"…No." she said confused. She changed tactics, as there was no point in trying to reason with such a young child, "Can I say goodbye to him since he's going with you?"

The child turned slightly and nodded. She pointed back at Mai and smiled, "He's right there next to you. Go ahead, but remember, he's mine!" she warned her.

Mai turned to her side and blinked in confusion. She recognized him instantly but somehow he was different to her.

"Naru…?" she asked.

Gene stared at her a moment and looked away. He walked to the little girl and patted her on the head.

"_This doesn't make sense. Maybe it's just a regular dream…" _she thought.

"But that's not fair. She has Hiroki too. Who am I going to play with? Why do I have to be by myself all the time?"

Mai tried to focus but she couldn't put two and two together. She wasn't sure what else to do but wake up.

"Wait… okay, what's your name then?" she asked the little girl.

"No! I won't tell you until you give Hiroki back!" she whined.

"But I don't have him… It's just me and… me and Naru." She said hesitantly.

The little girl stared at her before turning to Gene again, "Who is she talking about now?" she asked.

Gene looked at the both of them and rubbed the back of his head lightly. He seemed to wonder to himself but said nothing about the situation.

"Okay… then give me Naru. I just don't want to be alone." She said.

Mai felt the world around her grow dark again so she waited there in the darkness until she was able to wake up. When she did she noticed Shibuya and Lin had traded places. She was too tired to get up she simply dismissed the dream and went back to sleep.

"Sleepovers are so much fun Mai, you just have no idea!" Natsume sang shortly after receiving a call from Shibuya and driving over to pick Mai up.

Mai on the other hand was unaware in her sudden change of plans. It didn't matter much to her though as she would have rather known what was going on in her dream then try and figure out what he had planned.

"You bet." Mai said sarcastically playing along, "Really, I would have never guessed I'd be spending the night in a creepy old hospital. Too bad I didn't have a heads up before but it doesn't matter, I've been in much more confusing situations."

"No way Mai it's gonna be great! You'll be a real nurse with me! The night shift is so calm and relaxing, you're going to freak out!" Natsume said excitedly.

"Trust me, I'm already freaking out. Do you have time to wait this morning so I can pack?" Mai asked.

"Sure, go ahead and I'll wait here with Naru. We have some things to talk about anyway." She said, more seriously now.

Shibuya agreed and as Mai went up the stairs to pack Shibuya and Natsume returned to the living room to chat, "You lied to me, Natsume." He said, sitting on the couch.

Natsume joined him on the opposite couch and sighed, "I'm sorry about Kouta. I don't know what he was doing here. He said he was working late so I thought he was hounding around town again. If I'd known he was going to come here I would have given you a heads up." She said. "The locks will be changed this afternoon and Mai's staying with me for the time being so don't worry about him. On another topic, I was thinking about Mai's dreams. That grove over there where the man hides should help her pick something up. I wanted to ask you before I tried though."

"No, it's too dangerous. If it's going to stay out there then let it be. We don't know if it's the same entity yet. Besides, I think being in a hospital is enough. Your son is still there, right?" he asked.

Natsume fell silent, "Yes, your right."

"Then I think it'll be enough. In the meantime I need to find someone who can talk to your husband. He knows something and we need to figure it out."

"Okay, well, have you found anything about the house yet?" Natsume asked.

Shibuya handed her a CD. She looked it over cautiously, as if a ghost was caught inside of it and then placed it in her purse. She shook her head in disbelief, "I knew you'd find something." She started.

They heard a sudden thump followed by Mai who hurried down the stairs clumsily. "I'm ready!" she called.

"That was fast." Shibuya said.

"No, I was already packed. Plus it's only one night right? I'm ready to go when you are Natsume." Mai said cheerfully.

"Well then, are you sure you won't join us Naru?" Natsume asked playfully.

"I'm sure." He replied seeing Lin motion to him from the staircase.

"If you're sure then that's that. What about your other friends Mai? Lin's kind of cute…" she said thoughtfully.

"M—Mrs. Sasaki, we should really be going. Don't want to be late for your shift!" she said uneasily.

Natsume shrugged and waved goodbye to Shibuya before following Mai out the door, "Geez, you're not even going to say goodbye?" she called running to catch up.

"They won't miss me. I'll only be gone a little while." She replied.

"Oh right, you've got that love connection where you can read each other's minds, anyway right?" Natsume asked.

"Right." Mai said thoughtlessly. She paused and then opened her mouth to take it back but Natsume was already giggling up a storm so wild she couldn't hear anything else.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Okay so here's chapter 7. Hope you guys have really enjoyed the story so far. Please review, thanks for the reviews, and if you get scared easily please read this before it gets too dark.**

Mai and Natsume traveled around town. They were both early so going to the hospital right away would have been pointless. Instead Natsume took a few scenic routes and started with the grove a few miles away from the cabin.

"So, this is the grove where you saw the man?" Mai asked softly.

"Yes. It's beautiful isn't it? And to think that a ghost might be living out here… it's kind of scary." She replied.

Snowflakes dropped down from tree branches and swayed in the gentle wind. The trees were strong and defined, darkening the ground with the shadows of their frozen leaves. Mai felt a chill go down her spine as she wondered how she was going to survive a night in a hospital when she was terrified driving near a grove of trees.

"It's not as bad as one living in your house. You think we'll see him?" she asked.

"Why? Are you afraid?" Natsume replied.

"Yeah, kind of."

"Darn it, this is why he said it was a bad idea."

"What are you talking about?"

Natsume grew coy and drove quickly away. She wasn't sure what else to do besides tell on herself so she merely stayed quiet. When she spoke again they'd reached town and she started on her original tour of Asahikawa.

The city was beautifully covered in a heavy blanket of snow. There weren't many people out in comparison to most days but the shops were still open for business. As Natsume began to explain the different landmarks around town Mai listened carefully and imagined going out with her friends like any normal teenager might. She smiled though, realizing her friends were very well capable of doing the same. The only hassle would be gathering the courage to ask the bunch of them to go with her. Somehow they seemed like misfits anywhere else but a haunted house or cursed graveyard. Mai sighed.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Natsume asked cheerfully. "You and Naru together, right? This town is pretty nice for a date."

"Yeah, but not just Naru. The others too. We're all friends technically so, it would be normal to go to the mall or movies together, wouldn't it?" Mai asked.

"Not to burst your bubble hun, but not really. The only place that suits you all as a group is a haunted house or creepy graveyard. Still, they are your friends so ask them. Who cares if people think you're weird, have fun." She said.

Mai laughed at her bluntness but agreed. She would ask eventually and until then she would enjoy being around Natsume.

After lots of driving and sightseeing Natsume was forced to return to the hospital to start her shift. Things from there were busy as most people get hurt during the night in comparison to the day. Mai followed Natsume around watching patients and doctors waltzing around the hospital hurriedly. It was a change in pace and more than ever Mai realized how true the young man's words were.

_A nurses' job is unfortunate._

With a glance to Natsume she wondered if she was making a good impression on her night. Mai wasn't there to gain information anymore; instead she just wanted Natsume to be happy. It was a strange want for someone she barely knew, but somehow she felt attached to her, as if she was her mother. Mai smiled. It was nice to have a parent for once.

As the night rolled along Mai found it harder and harder to stay awake. By the time Natsume realized this it was a little too late to do anything about it.

"What about coffee? You do like coffee, don't you?" she asked.

"Not really… actually if I could just take a short break I think I'd be okay. Can I sit for a moment?" Mai asked.

Natsume looked around as if another option might have jumped out from a patient's room. She turned to Mai uncomfortably and finally thought of something, "Follow me. You can sleep in the waiting room. If you wake up and I'm not there, call me. You have my number in your phone." She said.

Mai frowned slightly and looked at it, "When did I get that?" she asked.

"Oh, it was ringing when you went to the bathroom. Naru texted you but don't worry I texted him back. You don't mind, do you?" she giggled.

"Depends on what you wrote…" Mai replied before realizing everything in her sent file was deleted.

"It was nothing, he just wanted to know how you were and I put that you were fine, some stuff about you missing him, and how great the town looked—here—sit here." She said.

Mai plopped into the chair, too tired to care about the text. Shibuya would eventually figure out that she hadn't sent it and in the meantime she was happy to just take a break from working.

"Alright, I'll wait here for you. Don't forget me, okay?" Mai called.

Natsume glanced at Mai and smiled warmly, "Of course not! I could never really forget you Mai. I'll be back soon so don't go wandering off."

She disappeared around the corner as Mai sat back. It was dark then and looking around at the pale waiting room Mai started to get scared. The light in the hallway glowed, the perfect entrance for a shadow. She stared at it a while, waiting, and when she couldn't take the false suspense she patted herself on the forehead.

"No worries… just relax." She told herself, "Turn over and try to sleep." But she couldn't. Instead she sat in the dark and prayed Natsume would return soon.

"…Hey, it's you." A voice said softly. Mai's eyes peeked open slightly and blinked at the bright light in her face. The young man put his flashlight away and smiled to her, "Still waitin on that nurse, huh?"

"Yes actually… what are you doing here?" she asked him.

The young man ruffled his hair and shrugged, "Just messing around to see how long I can be here before I get caught. Looks like I lost, but now you can join me if you want to." He said, walking over to sit with her.

"No, I'm supposed to be sleeping. You should probably go back with the person you're visiting. You could get in a lot of trouble hanging around here like this." Mai mentioned.

The young man smiled and shrugged again. He stared at Mai a moment before sighing, "Do you think the nurse will be back soon?" he asked, putting his head back and resting his hands under them.

"I'm not sure, why?" she asked.

"It would be awesome if you would come with me. I don't like visiting Chiaki by myself… It'll only take a second." He said, staring up at the ceiling.

Mai thought for a moment but seeing as she'd be alone otherwise she stood. "That's fine then. Come on, we'll go together." she said.

The young man smiled at her and got up, blushing a bit at his own happiness, "Really? You don't mind?" he asked.

"Nope, let's go before she comes back. I'll stay as long as I can."

The young man opened his mouth to speak for a moment and then closed it again. His eyes watered but he looked away before she could say anything about them, "Thanks…"

He led her to the same patients room that she'd waited for Natsume to come out of before. Turning to her he put his finger to his lips, "Stay quiet, the nurses like to check on him pretty often." He whispered.

They snuck inside quietly. Someone lay in bed attached to a life support machine. Mai assumed he was Chiaki. It was hard to see him in the dark and since the young man didn't try to turn on a light neither did she.

"What happened to him?" Mai asked softly.

He stared at the young man in silence for a while before sitting beside him, "So it's true… geez you really screwed up this time man. Did you even think about Mom before you…" his voice cut off as his put his head in his hands.

Mai looked away sorrowfully but said nothing. She couldn't hear his cries or see his darkened face, his guilt, his anger. There was nothing she could do even if she had so she sat in one of the chairs and kept a lookout for the nurses. After long she glanced at him, "Are you okay?"

"No… I can't wake up. What am I supposed to do? And it's all my fault. I was so selfish!" he cried. "Don't even look at me. What are you even here for, falling out of a tree while you tried to save a cat or something?"

Mai frowned a bit and took a better look at him and the patient. He frowned and turned away from her. "…Then you're…"

"Stop it okay. I really don't want you to look at me, I'm disgusting. I almost want to live again so I can take myself out." He mumbled.

"No, you stop it…" she said trying to pull herself together. "It'll be okay, alright? Everything will be fine but you have to calm down. There's got to be some way for you to wake up!" she said.

"Is that why you're still wandering? Waiting for some sort of miracle where you'll just wake up one day and be okay? It's not going to happen... But it's worse for me though. Even after killing myself I'm too afraid to live... and too afraid to die."

"Please stop talking like that…" Mai said.

The young man turned to her finally, his eyes like rivers but nothing in comparison to the waterfalls that were her eyes. He gazed at her in disbelief. That she could possibly feel worse about what he was saying than he did himself was unimaginable to him. He sighed and rested his head in his hands.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have asked you to come in the first place. No point in ruining your afterlife just because mine sucks." He said softly. "Will you forgive me?"

"How can you be like that just because you're in a coma? Geez, would you have even a little bit of hope? How are you supposed to wake up when all you can think about is dying?" she cried, "And by the way I'm alive! Is that how you would talk to a spirit you came across? You could do a serious amount of damage spreading that sort of negativity around the spirit world."

The young man stared at her a bit uneasily. He thought about it a while and sighed. As Mai tried to wipe her face he walked over to help her.

"Alright, alright, I said I'm sorry. Seriously though, you don't get it, do you… never mind, let's just go. Mom should b—you should make sure the nurse hasn't come back to get you. Come on, I'll walk you back." He said, pushing her towards the hallway.

He closed the door behind them and walked with his arm on her shoulder. Neither of them said anything for a while. In fact as Mai calmed down the young man didn't even seem to be paying attention to her. He looked around in the hallway and when she looked up at him he smiled awkwardly.

"What?" she asked.

"You forgive me?" he replied.

"I guess…" she mumbled.

"Good… you know, you're really nice… but you need to get your eyes checked out. They used this awesome device when I was alive. They're called glasses."

Mai crossed her arms, "I do not." she replied. "Why would you say that?"

As he was about to answer but he stopped. He turned suddenly then turned back to grab her hand.

"Don't ask questions, just answer them in a whisper, I'll hear you." He told her.

"Hey! What the—Margaret, we've either got an escapee or some kid's have broken into the hospital! Call the police!" a nurse shouted.

Mai looked back as she ran in time to see another nurse join her, "Are you sure Sara? It could be ghosts!" Margaret laughed.

"Stop it, they just ran down the hallway. We can't just let them get away!"

"Why not? Sounds to me like they're leaving. We'll call Natsume and see if she sees them. If not then trust me, you didn't either."

"Which waiting room were you in? The one with the kids area, or the one without?" he asked.

Mai thought for a moment and whispered, "The one without."

"Alright, we can walk then…" he said, stopping suddenly.

He let Mai jog a few steps until she was able to stop completely.

"You think the cameras will spot us?" she asked.

"Probably… but you won't be back too many more times. You said you weren't going to be a nurse right? Promise me you won't." he said.

Mai smiled and agreed, "I promise." She said. "Besides, I'm a paranormal researcher. It's not like anyone's going to want me in a hospital after seeing _my_ résumé."

"A paranormal researcher?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Then that explains it…" he said softly.

"How I didn't freak out about seeing you?" she asked.

"No, why that guy's been following you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Chapter 8. So I was thinking… this stuff is make believe, fictional. I hope you all realize that. I've had a short conversation with my favorite Author and I agreed I needed to add this in here for record: I don't believe in ghosts, I only write about them. I do believe in angels and demons but ironically I haven't written about them. If I did I might scare myself. That said, enjoy my stories, even be scared by them if you want to be, but don't take them seriously people. Seriously.**

"A guy? Who—wait where is he?"

"Calm down. He's hiding. I thought you knew. He's been following you like a stalker. Let's see…" the young man said trying to find him.

"Well?" Mai asked.

"He's tough. I mean a top of the class type of ghost. No wonder you haven't been able to see him. Want to know what he looks like?" he asked. "It might be helpful."

"Okay… go ahead."

"Black hair, black clothes. He's Japanese…"

"Alright… wait, go on."

"Blue eyes, kind of nonchalant."

"Oh… that's just…"

"Who?" the young man asked. "Is he cool?"

Mai wondered to herself as she nodded. She wasn't sure who he was no matter how badly she wanted him to be Shibuya. After a minute of thought she looked up at him and spilled her thoughts one at a time, "You can see him and I'm not dreaming. That means either Naru's asleep, or I've been mistaking my stalker for someone else. What do you think? Is he a ghost or a wandering spirit?"

"Aren't those both the same thing?" the young man asked, "Look, I thought you were dead too so don't count on me so much. I'm dead, but I still think like the living… at least the living that are normal." He said looking Mai up and down.

"You're not dead Chiaki, you're just in a coma. I'm not sure how but I'm sure you can wake up if we just—"

He chuckled darkly, "Don't insult him. I told you, get your eyes checked. I'm nothing like him." He started to walk off.

Mai sighed, "Wait, I can't let you leave like that." she called. "Negativity is kind of dangerous in a place like this."

"Here, I'll smile for you. Will that be enough?" he asked.

Mai said nothing and so with a quick glance the young man smiled at her. She smiled back, unsatisfied, but waved goodbye, "I suppose." She replied.

He ruffled his brown hair again and removed a small photograph from his pocket as he spoke, "Great, thank you, _princess_. Come back to visit me if you ever catch Chiaki. I've been waiting to see him… and also there's this girl—" he paused.

"A girl?" Mai asked.

"Oh, no, I forgot… it's nothing. Anyway he's a lot like me but don't let him fool you. He's one of the good guys." He said. "See ya."

Mai watched him turn his flashlight on and disappear around a corner. She watched realizing she stood face to face with the glowing light in the hallway. It shone brightly until he was gone and then, as if time started, all the lights flashed on.

"Mai, are you alright dear?"

Natsume and her two nurses stood rowdily behind her. They all stared, puzzled, before Mai pointed down the hallway.

"There was… I was up because…"

"She saw it too! I told you I wasn't crazy Margaret!" the nurse cried.

Natsume sighed as the two of them conversed. She took Mai's shoulders and pushed her towards an unoccupied patient's room, "Let's go." She said.

"Wait… but…"

"No, you need to get some sleep."

Mai rode home half awake. She could hear Natsume asking her question after question about how much fun she had and if she'd ever come back but all Mai could focus on was the comforting sensation she felt every time she closed her eyes and started to doze off.

"It looks like she burned out. You're a party animal aren't you, Natsume?" Ayako asked, helping Mai out of the car and trying to get her to wake up on her own.

"Maybe… She was so sleepy, the poor thing. I defiantly thought teenagers had more endurance being so young. What I wouldn't give to have a fraction of their energy… am I right?" she asked.

Ayako's jaw dropped slightly but she sat up straighter and placed a hand on her hip, "I wouldn't know. I'm still pretty young." She said haughtily.

"I know right? When I was thirty-five I started counting backwards. I'm only twenty years young, now!" she laughed, driving away. "Tell Naru I can pick her up again whenever. I love her so much, she's like the daughter I never got to have."

Ayako's smile faded as Natsume disappeared in a cold cloud of snow, "I'll say. Come on Mai, wake up. You're going to want to see what we found. Nothing I can't handle, but I thought I'd let Housho try his luck at it first."

Mai rubbed her eyes and agreed, "Right, just give me five more minutes."

As Mai recuperated she made tea and rejoined her group in the library. Shibuya glanced at her and sighed but said nothing right away. She offered tea to everyone and after getting settled in she sat down.

"Mai, have you had any dreams lately?" Shibuya asked.

It seemed he was the only one paying attention to her then but Mai knew better. Everyone was wondering the same thing, silently waiting for her to answer, "Yes… a few I guess, but I don't know how helpful they're going to be." She replied.

"Try me."

"Okay, first was the one where I saw you drawing butterflies and teddy bears on Kouta's van. Next a little girl threw snowballs at me because she thought I was stealing you from her…" she said.

"_Me_?" Shibuya asked, almost as if he wondered if she was making the dreams up, "I'm in a lot of your dreams lately."

"Actually I was going to ask you about that… she said your name was Gene but I don't understand what she was talking about. I was hoping you would explain." she replied.

Shibuya stared at her as if she'd just stabbed him in the back. He lost his breath for a moment but stayed still knowing everyone else would notice otherwise. He wouldn't fight back by acknowledging her comment. His only flaw was his late answer which drew Lin's full attention. He turned around to check on him and when he realized Shibuya wasn't going to explain he watched him suffer in a respectful silence.

"The little girl had pigtails and a pink raincoat." He said. "Am I right?"

"Yes, but who is—"

"Her name is Harumi Sasaki. She's only an image created by a grieving family. She never really existed… is there anyone else?"

"No, I didn't see anyone else." Mai said carelessly. She crossed her arms and looked away. "Also, that doesn't explain why she called you—"

"Did you _hear_ anything else?" Shibuya asked impatiently.

"The name Hiroki; she thought I took _him_ from her too."

"Hiroki Sasaki… Are you sure?" he asked.

Mai said nothing and seeing as she wasn't going to tell him anything else Shibuya frowned slightly. He became calm then and threw his jacket on, "I'll be back." He said. "Tell her about the tapes."

Mai watched him leave. For once in a long time she was angry at him for not explaining. If she hadn't heard him before, hadn't even thought of the possibility of another person posing as him in her dreams, she would have forgotten the idea entirely. But his words mocked her,

'_I'm sure you'll be able to figure everything out without any help from him… the man of your dreams…'_

She was so angry she almost didn't feel Houshou punch her playfully in the arm, "Right, I'll let you hear this one first." Houshou told her, "Just so you know this 'little girl' is dangerous. The next time you see her, wake up."

He handed Mai the headphones and with a deep breath she shoved all her feelings into a box in the back of her mind. She would let it explode on Shibuya later but right then she was working; she needed to focus. She listened carefully, clearing her head.

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" a voice screamed, "Give him back… she took him from me…"

Mai listened in horror as the voice grew louder and louder with each agonizing plea. She felt sick hearing it's cries become more sorrowful, and eventually angry, even violent. They bashed her eardrums, forcing their way through her skull until she was sure it was about to split. She held the headphones, struggling as quietly as she could while her head throbbed.

"Lin… it's too loud…" Mai mumbled, resisting the urge to pull the earphones off.

"Any lower and it'll be mute." Lin replied.

"That's not possible…" she said, part in awe and part in fear.

"Who can really say what's possible in our line of business. We've seen worse." Ayako reminded her.

"Wait I can't hear you… I… ah, it's too loud—guys!" Mai winced feeling the pressure let off her ears in an instant. She looked up at John weakly who sent a sharp glare at the others.

"That's enough! You could have just explained it to her." He said, tossing the headphones back to Lin. "Are you alright Mai?"

She nodded rubbing her ears as he returned to his place near the bookshelf. With his arms crossed he became a statue again, staring angrily at the ground. No one interrupted his focus.

"Don't worry about John." Houshou told her. "Shibuya talked to one of the higher ups in the Catholic Church so they agreed to let him exorcise the house. The only problem is that he's needs a few weeks to prepare and Naru's not waiting."

Mai sighed, "Okay... that sucks."

"Yeah, but its okay. Ayako and I don't get attacked as much as he does so he should be happy. It's more of an ethical thing though." Houshou explained.

"Like saving me from a psycho pair of headphones?" she asked.

Houshou scratched his head uneasily and changed the subject, "Anyway your next plan in action is to go to the mall." He said.

Mai frowned slightly, "The mall?"

"You can drive, right?"

"Yeah… sort of." She said, "I don't have a license but…"

"Just don't get caught. We need some stronger speakers."

"Apparently."

"Also, we'll need coffee or tea, whichever you can find with the most caffeine in it. It'll be a long night. Last… some pepper spray would be good for you."

"Are we expecting a tornado, Monk?" Mai asked.

Houshou stared at her for a minute to try to figure out what she was talking about. When he couldn't he turned to the equally confused Ayako and the seemingly careless Lin.

"Oh never mind."

"Naru said something about Kouta trying to attack us so we need to be prepared just in case. Naru, Lin, and I would be okay, Ayako probably wouldn't have a problem either, and Kouta's wife is Catholic, but we don't know your odds in that fight." He explained, "You need to be able to protect yourself."

Mai agreed and typed the items into her phone, "I was hoping to go to the mall with everyone but I guess now we won't have to." She mumbled sarcastically.

"Awesome, talk about a lucky break then. I hate the mall." Houshou laughed. Seeing he'd somehow broken Mai's spirit in that instant he tried to mend it, "But you know I guess I would have liked to see the mall here in Asahikawa. It's probably nothing like the ones at home… or anywhere else in the world."

Mai ignored him teasingly. "_Anyone else _want anything?"

"My youth." Ayako mumbled.

"No… drive safely..." John replied.

Mai agreed and hurried down to the front of the house. Snowflakes fell like burning silver against her newly warmed cheeks. She opened the vehicle to get in and pulling out of the drive way she noticed Shibuya on the other side of the street. He watched the grove of trees like a hawk. For a moment, Mai almost believed that she could sneak up on him. She drove by and sat with the windows down but warm air blowing in her face.

"You're wasting gas." He mumbled.

"…I'll replace it. I wanted to ask you about the case with Alice."

Shibuya turned slightly to glance at her. He said nothing at first but not seeing how the case had any link to his past he replied, "Yes, why?"

"Remember you told me you weren't the one in my dreams?" she asked.

Shibuya said nothing. He had his guard down and didn't even know it. Still his defenses were strong enough to keep him from falling any farther into the conversation. He took a deep breath and lied, "No, I don't."

"Liar."

"Why ask if you knew I was going to lie to you?" he replied, walking toward the grove.

"Wait! Well, because I wanted to know the truth and I didn't think you'd lie when no one was around. Where are you going?" she asked slightly in horror.

"Just up to that grove of trees. Have I answered all of your questions now?"

"No—! Don't go Naru, it could be dangerous over there!"

"I've been in worse places. Anyway I'll be back inside soon. Go to the store so you can come back."

"Not until—!"

Shibuya jogged far enough out so that he couldn't hear Mai's voice anymore. He smiled slightly to himself, knowing she wouldn't follow him on such unpredictable grounds. Looking back he could almost hear her mumbling angrily to herself and he waved as she drove speedily away.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show Ghost Hunt.**

**Chapter 9. Sorry for the wait. Got some ideas for another story… and that means saying goodbye to fanfiction for a little while. Don't worry, I'm still finishing this story though. How could I not? Thanks for the reviews! Please don't forget to review!**

"I swear I hate him!" Mai told herself, driving down the road.

And down the street, through the parking lot, and into the town shopping center Mai thought about how much she disliked her boss. She didn't stop until she found herself buying snacks in a small grocery store somewhere in downtown Asahikawa. She stared at the chocolate filled wafer straws in her hand and sighed.

She didn't hate him.

But even still she felt better letting some of her anger disperse in the act of throwing groceries into a silver basket. She put most of the things back but kept some tea and a small container of coffee that smelled strong enough to make a man immortal.

Mai left the grocery store thinking about what kinds of snacks Shibuya liked. She searched her mind for a memory of him expressing his opinion on snacks. There had to be something, but since she couldn't remember she went to the next item on her list.

She headed to a brightly decorated electronic store for the speakers. Lights blazed in her face as she entered and the music blasted behind her as she exited.

"Have a nice day!" the cashier called over the techno music playing on his pocket radio. "Wait, miss, would you like someone to carry that for you?"

Mai laughed nervously, unable to hear what he asked of her. She shook her head no, "Thank you!"

With no time to spare she drove looking for a place that sold pepper spray. She found a gun shop and crossed her fingers. A tall man stood out front with a hand gun in his pocket. He grinned cheerily at her as she neared the entrance.

"Welcome, welcome, miss, what exactly are you here to buy? I, Norio, will be your guide as we step into the wonderful world of guns and—"

"Pepper spray?" Mai asked.

Norio stared at her a while and shrugged, "Not really. Why have pepper spray when you can own a—"

"Well, I came here to buy pepper spray. I need protection but I don't want to kill anyone." She said.

He tugged at his goatee and thought to himself. When he seemed to have collected his thoughts he came at Mai a different way, "I believe people can grow an immunity to pepper spray. I bet no one has an immunity to getting shot." He said.

"_Oh, really_?" Mai asked, sounding shocked suddenly, "I would have _never_ thought of it like _that_." She said.

Norio sighed insightfully and said, "Yes that's what people usually say when I tell them that. Don't worry though we'll find you a nice hand gun and teach you how to use it. Lessons are free of charge!" He put his arm around Mai's shoulders excited like a kid about to buy candy. He showed her around the shop before she stopped him.

"There, this should work." she said, picking out a black cylinder with a red sprayer. She smiled at it and looked to the man. "How much?"

Norio frowned slightly and mumbled, "Nine dollars. I'll take off the extra ninety nine cents just because you were true to yourself." Mai paid him and walked quickly away from the empty smell of gunpowder, "Be careful, the world's tough!"

She opened the box and stared at the can. There was nothing special about it. Only the satisfaction that if she sprayed it there was the possibility of hurting someone. She wondered how much and as her curiosity grew she got an idea. Mai waited until she was nearly alone on the street and sprayed some on the back of her hand. A zip of fluid covered it in seconds, reddening the exposed area. She nearly screamed in pain but choked at the feeling of pepper scratching at her throat.

"H—help—" she coughed, trying to catch her breath.

Her eyes watered and burned for half an hour before she was able to return to normal. People on the street stared, concerned for her, but besides the initial embarrassment Mai was okay, and more so, quite satisfied by the effectiveness of her new defensive mechanism. The only problem was her watery eyes and they too went away after long.

As she returned to the van Mai unlocked the door to get in. She climbed up but in a flash she seemed to be snatched out.

"Ah, nice to see you Mai. We haven't seen each other in days… still slacking off I see." A voice said.

Kouta hovered over her calm and serious. He held out his hand to help her up and she took it.

"You better leave me alone or I'll call the police!" she shouted, standing up quickly and spraying nearly all of the contents of the can on him. He stepped back nervously at first and then screamed in pain. As Mai created attention she got up and hurried into the car. Never once did she take her eyes off of him.

"You are such a b—"

"I swear if you ever come near me again I'll—"

"You'll what? Spray me with pepper spray. It'll hurt, but not for long and when it's done burning I'll still keep coming after you until you get out of my house." He warned her.

Mai glanced at the can and wondered finally if it would have been easier to buy the gun. She locked her door and attempted to drive away but since that would involve running him over she was stuck.

"Ma'am, is something wrong? Maybe I can help this gentleman… if you haven't." Norio said testily. He stared at Kouta and gave Mai a thumbs up.

As Kouta flushed his face with snow he glared from Norio with his gun back to Mai who sat safely in the van.

"It's Thursday… that means you have a few days left but since you didn't send my message I'll have to do it myself." Kouta said softly.

He sat up slowly and jogged to his car which he strategically parked across the street. As he disappeared into traffic Mai turned to Norio thankfully.

"I don't know how to thank you…" she said.

"Next time I suggest buying a gun, listen. Be safe Little One and have fun with that toy of yours but not too much fun. You'll run out."

Mai sighed, feeling empowered for a moment when a realization came over her. She felt sick and with no time to spare she picked up the phone and called Shibuya. Lin answered.

"Did you pick up the speakers?" he asked.

"Was that his ringtone for her?" Ayako laughed in the background.

"It's his ringtone for everyone." Lin answered, shutting her down completely.

"Lin, it's an emergency. I ran into Kouta just now…" she said slightly out of breath.

"Again… where are you?" he replied.

"I'm driving back but I need you to tell me that Naru's back inside. He has to be. Kouta could be on his way and if he sees Naru out there alone…" she paused.

"I'll go find him."

"Then I'll help! I've got the van and with us both looking—"

"No—Mai, when you get here stay inside the house. Kazuya and I are use to this but you don't need to be. Promise me."

Mai's eyes watered at how much Lin sounded like Shibuya. She nodded and since Lin was use to the language of silence it was enough for him. He waited a moment, then hung up.

The snow started falling again. Each snowflake different than any other. When Mai got to the house she barely noticed the tiny crystals among the chaos. There was some part of her that told her to be happy that Lin had found Shibuya in the first place but somehow it didn't speak to her as loudly as reality had.

Mai watched Lin stand between both Shibuya and Kouta as they tried to get to each other. Almost a minute had passed before Houshou and John followed in Lin's steps and tried to help as well. Ayako stood at the porch with a phone in her hand and watched the fight. She was indifferent to the situation until she noticed Mai and she signaled as discreetly as she could for Mai to come to her.

Mai took a deep breath and tried not to notice that the fight had begun to get bloody. She ran to Ayako as fast as a jackrabbit and looked only for a second to the fight. Her boots tracked blood and every punch that was thrown sprinkled drops of crimson among the white crystals. She began to take a step toward the fight but felt herself being pulled into the house.

_Don't you dare—it could be dangerous._

"Don't worry, at least Shibuya's winning… I think. Let the boys handle it. Eventually the police will be here and then guess what?" Ayako said, turning to make sure Mai was following her.

"What?" Mai asked.

"We're moving to a resort!" she cheered.

"How can you be so excited? They could all be seriously hurt!" she cried.

"I know, but it's more relieving to know that you're alright." She replied. "Besides, Naru started the fight. I don't know what Kouta said to him but I've never seen him so angry before… too bad you missed it. He looked so cool."

"But…" Mai glanced out the window in time to see the fight break up. Kouta got in his van and drove away as the police pulled up. She wanted to go out and make sure Shibuya was okay at the least but there was some kind of barrier that stopped her. Instead she grabbed her bag of groceries and hurried to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Ayako asked.

"When they come in they're going to want tea." Mai replied.

Actually no one wanted tea when the boys returned to the cabin. They were all caught up in the fight until the point that only Ayako and Mai realized how bad they all looked. Mai said nothing about their lack of awareness but brought all of them some warm towels to wipe the blood off of them.

"Naru… are you hurt anywhere?" Ayako asked quietly.

"No, I'm fine." He replied.

"Actually Lin's the one who was the most hurt out of all of us." Houshou added. "Besides Kouta. That little rat ran as soon as the cops pulled up!"

"At least we're all alive though. We might have been in some real trouble if he chose to bring a gun." John said. "I think it's time we had a conversation about whether it's safe or not to finish this."

Shibuya frowned a bit and stood up. He sighed, physically tired and looked around at them all, "Since this is the second time you've been attacked, Mai, what do you think we should do?" Shibuya asked.

Everyone turned to Mai in shock but she didn't mind. She liked the feeling that she could take care of herself and as she picked at her nails proudly she shrugged, "I think we'll be okay. Maybe we should have the police around just to be on the safe side." She said.

Shibuya said nothing more and the group agreed at once on Mai's suggestion. They all packed their belongings and gathered the evidence as they began to make their way to their new quarters.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show ****Ghost Hunt****.**

**Chapter 10. Sorry for being gone so long! Computer trouble, can be really annoying. Anyway, please read and review! I'm counting on you! Thanks! ...Oh and if it's not too much trouble, you may want to read some parts again. **

**Again, super sorry.**

"I said you're off the case." Lin repeated as he drove to the resort.

Mai stopped looking out of the window for a moment to listen in on their conversation. Lin rarely talked loud enough for everyone to hear him so she knew it must have been something everyone needed to know.

"And I told _you_ I'm not leaving—!"

"Attacking the hosts of any case is unacceptable. We'll call you when something comes up."

Shibuya said nothing as he let the words sink into his skull. He turned his glare to the window in silence and Mai watched him, worried until they'd reached the resort. She could never remember a time when Shibuya was kicked off a case and she didn't like it despite the situation.

The resort was beautifully placed in front of a mountain. From it, snow seemed to cover everything without fail. Even the people that walked around in front, with their skiing equipment, seemed to be covered in snow crystals. They all gazed at it in amazement as Lin found a parking spot.

Getting out of the car, the researchers seemed to notice Natsume immediately. She stood at the entrance talking to a group of bellboys. When she saw them she stopped conversing and ran over, leaving the boys in a moderate confusion.

"This case will be the end of me." Shibuya mumbled.

"Are you all alright? Did he hurt you? I swear I didn't—"

"Natsume, if I could ask what you're doing here?" Shibuya inquired.

"The police contacted me. Kouta disappeared so I texted Mai. She said you were going to a resort and that you were okay so I quickly rushed over to make sure." She said.

"How did you even know which resort to go to?" Houshou questioned.

"There's only one that's this close to the house. Plus I figured you'd want to go to the mall that's around here. You're a bunch of teenagers… mostly." She said, excusing Ayako which a glance. "It wasn't hard to put the pieces together."

"Thanks for being worried about us, but honestly you coming here is dangerous. Kouta could be following you for all we know and we've had enough trouble from him." John said uneasily.

Natsume's eyes watered for a moment. She was embarrassed at her husbands' behavior but more than that she felt their pity and or suspicions. "I'm sorry." She finally said.

"Just go home. Your husband will get angry if he finds out you've been with us." Lin said stoically.

She said softly, "I had no idea he'd come after you. I was so sure he wouldn't—"

"If he was beating you why wouldn't he attack us?" Lin replied, turning from her to get the remainder of the equipment out of the car.

Natsume pulled her sleeves down, hiding any visible scar everyone assumed to see, and crossed her arms. She looked at the ground before drawing to a close, "Well, since you're all okay I guess I better leave."

"Wait—Natsume!" Mai started, but the nurse continued cheerfully.

"Mai, have you had any dreams of my daughter?" she asked.

The entire group seemed to grow quiet as Mai answered, "Yeah… I think she's angry with me."

"Don't be afraid of her… my boys were afraid too at first but I just know that if she had a real chance to live, she'd be just as wonderful as you are. Thank you again for giving me a hand at work. You have my number if you ever want to talk, okay?" she asked.

Mai opened her mouth to reply, but Natsume turned from them and slowly walked through the parking lot to her car. There were few words spoken of Natsume afterwards and as everyone went to their rooms she started to fade from their thoughts, little by little.

As day turned to night Mai lay down on her bed and watched the soap opera Ayako was possessed by. She wasn't sure which whether Ayako or the show was more interesting to watch, but as her roommate glanced back at her she quickly remembered which one she was supposed to be watching.

"What? It's true; he's not the real guy. That's his evil quintuplet brother who kidnapped her child at birth when she was sixteen and killed her uncle's—"

"No it's not that. If you really want them to hear you Ayako, you should shout a little louder." Mai suggested playfully.

"Who?"

"The people on television."

Ayako threw a pillow at her and Mai let the pillow rest on her face to hide her laughing smirk. She sighed and when she was sure the temptation to laugh was gone she attempted to remove the façade. Instead her hand was beaten to the pillow and when she looked up to see who had moved it she gasped.

"Chiaki?" she asked.

"It's true, you _do_ know me." he said.

"How did you follow me here? I'm not even at the hospital… am I?" she asked.

"…And I really thought this couldn't get any weirder…" he mumbled. "No, you're in a resort hotel. I followed you here from my house. I mean… I was looking for my brother when I saw you try to help your little friends fight with my father. He's a really dangerous person, just let the guys handle it okay?" he said, crossing his arms.

"Your father…? You mean Kouta?" she asked.

"You didn't know that?" he asked rudely.

"No—I didn't! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well you know everything else about me. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew where Hiroki was too." he said.

"Wait…" Mai paused, "I think I got it now. That's why Ms. Sasaki was visiting you by herself. Well, anyway, I'm glad you got out of that hospital but you really shouldn't become attached to me."

"What?"

"I know I'm probably the only one who can see you, but you can't just pop around whenever you want."

"Wait a second! This is the first time we've ever met, you idiot!"

"Geez, what is this? First you were in denial about being alive, now you're pretending not to know me? If you're trying to confuse me I—"

"Wait, you said you saw _me_ at the hospital?" Chiaki asked.

"Yes!"

"Not someone who just looked like me?"

"What are you talking about?"

Mai felt something light thump her on the head. Her mouth was suddenly shut and after a few seconds Chiaki looked past her at Gene who leaned on her shoulder.

"Return to the hospital Chiaki. Your brother is looking for you." Chiaki watched him uneasily for a minute but he continued, "Don't worry, I'll take care of Mai. She's just a bit confused."

"Then Hiroki's been at the hospital this whole time? And I always thought he was just hiding from me. Thank you… Mr. ..."

"My name is Gene."

Mai turned quickly around and watched as Gene lightly plopped down beside her. He rubbed his head, not expecting her to turn so quickly.

"Now _you're_ pretending?" she asked, confused.

Gene said nothing for a while. He made sure his face was turned from her before he continued, "Close your eyes for a moment. Picture Olive—I mean, Kazuya; remember every detail of him."

Mai replied, "This is no time to be vain Naru!"

"Still don't trust me, Mai?"

She was taken back. Though she wasn't sure what the point of his directions were she followed them, hoping they'd lead to some sort of explanation.

"Fine, I'm picturing you." She felt him flinch.

Gene turned to make sure she was doing what he asked. When he did he saw Shibuya staring back at him in front of Mai. For a while he was astounded at how vivid her imagination was but he pulled himself together in time to stand beside him and wait for Mai to open her eyes.

"Who am I?" he asked her.

Mai stared in frustration at first but finally she realized a few key differences. They were faint, but she saw them. She wanted to answer Gene's question, but her mouth was having trouble forming words.

"Wh—Who are—"

Shibuya's image disappeared into a sea of darkness. She stood up quickly to back away from Gene but he took her arm.

"My name is Gene. I've been with you for as long as you've worked at SPR. Don't wake up—and stop imagining things, you'll scare yourself." He said gently.

"B—but you-!"

"I know. I've kind of been lying to you."

"_Kind of_?"

"Technically I thought you knew. When I finally realized you had us confused… well, I guess…" Gene blushed a bit and let go of her arm.

"Wait a second—! Who are you?"

"I'm his brother, Gene." He replied.

"Shibuya doesn't have a brother." She said angrily.

"Yes, he does. He just doesn't talk about me."

"Yeah right! Why not then?"

"Because if he did, he'd have to explain my death." Gene said softly, "He's not strong enough to start talking about me yet; even to you Mai."

Mai stared at Gene in disbelief. She looked away, "I'm sorry… I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it. It's his fault anyway."

"I should have been able to tell the difference. Geez, I'm so stupid!" Mai sighed. "Oh, I should call you Gene from now on, right?"

"Actually I liked it better when you thought I was Kazuya. I wonder if we could just keep that the same." He said.

Mai stared at him a while and shook her head softly, "I'm sorry." she said. "Now you guys look completely different."

Gene sighed and shrugged, "I thought so. Well, don't think you've gotten rid of me just yet. I'm still attached to you."

"That's fine!" Mai said cheerfully. "I don't think I could get through a case without you Nar—Gene."

Gene chuckled to himself and held his hand out to her, "Then let's start over." He said, "I'm Gene. It's nice to honestly meet you, Mai."

Mai took his hand but he pulled her close to him and hugged her lightly. She smiled the way she might if she was hugging a teddy bear and giggled, "It's nice to meet you too Gene." She said.

She felt tears trickling down her back suddenly and frowned slightly. She pulled away from him again to take a look at his face but he was smiling pitifully.

"Ah… sorry." He said as she wiped the tears from his face. He took her hand and grew silent.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I was starting to think this was kind of unfair." He said.

"Unfair?"

"My brother… I _know_ I have to be better than _him_ but _he_ gets everything. Oh well, go easy on him Mai. Don't break both of our hearts, alright?" he asked her.

Mai blushed a bit. "Oh stop it—I don't like Shibuya. He's just my—"

Gene rested his head against her forehead and smirked, "How can you fool me, Mai? I've been the "_Naru_" of your dreams for the past year or so." He said, soft enough so that even if there was someone else with them only Mai would hear him.

She felt her hair stand on ends as he whispered in her ear. She blushed harder than she normally did and tore her gaze abruptly away from him, "I should really wake up now…!" she said.

Gene let her go reluctantly and agreed, "You're right." He replied. "I'll talk to you later about the case. I think tonight was enough of a hint."

"Wait—you know what's going on?" she asked.

Gene picked up a pillow and weighed it with his hand. He smiled and replied, "Catch."

Mai caught it with her face. She quickly moved it again but the room was suddenly dim again. She felt the soft blankets under her and the warm air above her floating from the heater that covered her like a blanket. Ayako stood at the door with an oversized pillow and a sleepy grin on her face as she talked to Lin.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting up. No need to be so scary." She said loudly.

Ayako waved as he left and turned back to Mai.

"Is it time to go?" she asked.

"For me it is. Just go back to sleep Mai. You'll need your strength to babysit Naru."

Mai laughed, still she got up to see them off at the hotel lobby. She was disappointed that Shibuya didn't come to give any directions but since Lin was leading she figured it must have been for the best. As they left John stopped her at the last possible second.

"Be careful okay Mai?" he told her.

"I'll be okay. I'm away from the house." She said.

"Just watch out okay? We'll call to check on you later." He assured her.

Mai watched John leave in a grateful silence. Since everyone was gone she decided to go eat breakfast at the hotel's dining hall. On her way she ran right into Shibuya who hid near the stairs.

"Hey Naru, what are you doing…?"

He stared at her at a loss for words. Finally he swallowed the awkwardness that stuck in his throat and frowned.

"Don't most people take the elevator?" he asked, irritated.

"No, not everyone... I was wondering where you were. I guess hiding to see how we were going to respond to your lack of attendance should have come up as an option but I usually give you more credit than that."

"Give me a break." He mumbled.

"Anyway, what are you going to do stuck in the hotel all day?"

Shibuya thought for a moment and shrugged, "What I usually do when Lin throws me out of a case." He said, putting on his jacket.

Shibuya started towards the entrance and looked out at the early morning snowflakes. He stared at them and opened the door before he suddenly stopped; "Are you coming or what?" he called.

Mai smiled hopelessly and with her bunny slippers still on her feet she hurried cheerfully after him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show ****Ghost Hunt****.**

**Chapter 11. Guess whose back? Now, I know a lot of you have probably left… but I also know a lot of you are still out there waiting, so let me say to you: I've come back to finish just like I said I would and I'm really sorry it's taken so long… but I'm back so, you can forgive me, right? *pouty face***

**And for you new people, hey, hope you like the story so far. If you don't know the drill, please read and review! It makes me really happy! **

Mai and Shibuya didn't have a car, a map, or anything else that was useful when travelling in an unknown area. Still they had each other's company and the skyscrapers in the distance to rely on.

Although Mai was happy to be walking around with him, somehow things were different than usual. Whenever they were together, there was always some type of line between when they were working and when they were just hanging around, but this time she wasn't sure.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?" she asked, sleepily.

Shibuya had since stopped answering her questions about their destination. More than this he'd stopped talking until they reached it. Small groups of teenagers ran around with their parent's credit cards and older children complained about what they wanted. Decorations hung from every possible place. The faint tune of jingles floated above the rough sounds of laughter and conversations until Mai could hardly hear herself when she shouted.

"You hang out at the mall?"

Shibuya gave an empty glance at her, "Yeah, sometimes."

"But it's so… so…"

"Calming." He mumbled.

"No! It's normal…" she said thoughtfully.

"Is this really that incredible to you?" he asked, ignoring a few stores until he found the right one.

"Well, yeah." She said.

His scoffing sent her into an irritated frenzy as he passed her to go into a shop. She took a look around at the different movie genres before she found him among thousands of titles beside the horror section searching calmly in the face of so many morbid pictures. When he noticed her staring at him he told her, "There's going to be a snowstorm tonight. You should pick some movies."

"Do they have to be scary?" she asked nervously.

He glanced up at her questioningly then cracked a smile, "Don't tell me you're afraid of scary movies."

"I'm not it's just that… they kind of…"

"Scare you?"

"No!"

"Good, we can go to the movies then." He said.

Mai stared at him in shock, "We're going to the movies?"

"Is that alright with you?" he asked.

Mai smiled, though some part of her deep down was resisting. Going to the movies was something she had often fantasized about, but she never had the courage to ask him to go in reality. She crossed her arms lightly, trying not to look so incredibly happy about it.

"Yeah, I don't mind. I mean, it should be fun." She said.

"It should be."

Shibuya continued looking through the releases and finally selected one. Before he paid for it he handed it to Mai. As she looked it over her face grew more and more serious.

'So, a scary movie about twin brothers… sounds interesting." She mumbled.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be good." He said, going to pay for it.

"More ironic than anything else."

"Ironic?" he asked.

Mai said nothing. She didn't even look at him. "I'll wait outside."

He attempted to go after her, but he decided to pay for the movie first. Then, he ran out right behind her.

"Wait a second, Mai."

To his dismay she waited like he asked her to. He paused, trying to form the words to ask her. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him.

"Let's have a relaxing day today. No worries." she said plainly. "We can talk later."

Shibuya watched her in silence, but she knew he wanted the same. The last few days had been so stressful that they could wait on the extra drama, even if it had suddenly become relevant.

"Alright… I had a few more stops to make before we go to the movies anyway." He said.

Mai and Shibuya walked through the mall together peacefully. The case came up a few times, but for the most part they teased each other about varying subjects and horsed around as if they were both in school. After a while Mai started forget that they were co-workers in the first place.

"So, what movie do you want to see?" Shibuya asked.

"We're watching something scary anyway," she said. "So, it doesn't matter."

Shibuya smiled slightly, "If you're afraid of scary movies, we don't have to watch one."

"It's alright, buy me a ticket. I won't be scared."

"Is that right?" he asked.

"Of course not, because you'll be there next to me, remember?" That usual stoic look seemed to be fading more and more lately. When he looked at her she had to restrain herself. His smile, it was the one she remembered in her dreams. "You know, I really wish you'd smile more." She said softly.

"I know. Everyone loves it when I smile." He said, snapping her out of it. "Since a scary movie is back as an option, I think I'll go with my original choice."

Mai punched his arm, but he ignored her and purchased the tickets. They made their way through crowds and sat in their blood red theater seats a few minutes earlier than they needed to. They were quiet for a while, being mostly alone in the theater, before Mai broke the silence.

"You know, I'm glad they threw you off the case. Today's been great."

"That's hardly a complement, Mai."

"I know, but I thought I should tell you. We've never hung out before… it was fun."

"It's always fun to slack off Mai…" She fell silent, but Shibuya smiled at her, "So we should do this again, on a day we're not supposed to be working."

Beyond the glow in the dark theater the only thing Mai could really picture were the seats in front of her and Shibuya beside her. She gazed at him a while but said nothing, as if she was thinking about whether that would be alright or not. He turned to her then and rested his head on the back of his hand.

"That would be... awesome. You think you'll be able to handle having me around?" she asked, "My bad habits may rub off on you."

"I'll manage." He said.

The dimming lights drew the both of them closer. They ignored the friendly reminders, commercials, and upcoming movie trailers on the screen before them. They only focused on each other for the time being simply because it was their only time to spare. Their only truly private moment. It was pulled apart by a ring tone louder than most amongst their silence.

As he pulled away from her she heard him curse breathlessly.

"Kazuya…"

He took a short gaze at her, almost apologetically, before he stood to leave the theater.

"Wait here. I'll be right back, I promise. It's Lin."

She watched him leave with his touch still lingering on her lips. She blushed harder. As she thought back over the stepping stones they'd crossed in the past she realized that while it might have been a small event for most people, she'd waited for that kiss for over a year and now that she'd gotten it she wondered if her heart could even handle another one. She wasn't sure, but that wouldn't stop her from risking her life for it anyway.

A few minutes later she hadn't forgotten but she was a bit sidetracked by the gruesome image etching itself into her memory alongside his. As shivers ran down her spine she started to worry about where Shibuya had gone, but she stayed there like he asked her to until about the third time she screamed in fright.

Mai left, nervously searching the moment she walked outside. She had assumed he would be nearby, except he wasn't. With nothing else to rely on she decided to call him.

"Hello?" Shibuya asked quietly.

"Naru! Where are you? You just left me at the theater?" she cried.

"Not willingly. I thought I'd figured something out so I went back to the resort for a minute."

"A clue?" she asked.

"Yes. I hope you don't mind." He said.

Mai stared at her phone emotionlessly. Though she wanted to be angry, she knew Shibuya too well to even begin to yell at him.

"No, it's cool. I guess I'll go back too then." She said.

"No!" he paused, and sighed, "Just stay there."

"Naru, I'm not watching this movie without you. That was the deal, remember? If you're not going to be here—"

"Mai, don't leave the theater!" Shibuya instructed. "Be mad at me, yell, even give me the silent treatment, but don't disregard what I'm saying."

Mai frowned slightly, feeling a chill again. She turned, seeing one of the Sasaki twins beside her.

"_Stay here Mai. It's not safe."_

"Naru, what's going on?"

"Just don't leave Mai. Promise me."

She turned back to one of the twins but he was replaced by their sister who held on to her leg.

"_Don't leave. I can't lose both of you!"_

"You're in trouble… aren't you?"

"Mai—"

"It's Kouta… where is he? Does he have you, or is he here somewhere?"

"Mai—"

"The calls from Lin… are they in trouble too?"

"…No, he's here in the hotel somewhere."

Mai smiled slightly. She examined the mall and the hundreds of people walking through wondering themselves what to do and where to go. She looked back at the phone and sighed, "I'm going."

"But—"

She said softly. "You waited that long to kiss me… I can't just sit back and let you take care of things. I might be stuck here forever."

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, but somehow she knew he was still there listening, "If he finds you, you're fired." He said harshly.

Mai smiled to herself and shrugged lightly, "Oh well, I think it'll be awkward as your co-worker from now on anyway."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show ****Ghost Hunt****.**

**Chapter 12. I hope you guys have loved this story. If you have, review and tell me how you feel. Also, thanks for the reviews so far! You guys have been great.**

The resort was unnaturally quiet. It could have been the storm that was about to start, or possibly just the fact that the mountains were closed off to skiers, but it was so quiet that Mai could hear her shallow breath as it came out in puffs of smoke.

She hurried inside trying to look casual. A hotel lobbyist smiled when she walked by, "You're heading inside before the storm starts, right? It's going to be a crazy one. That's why I just don't understand why you kids like coming out here this time of year."

Mai smiled and shrugged before she attempted to go into the elevator. She paused though, feeling as if the stairs would be better. She followed the twisting staircase to her floor and opened the door slowly to an empty hallway. Her eyes felt tired with nostalgia at the sight of the colorful carpeting. She hoped to run into Shibuya. She didn't.

Once safely inside her room Mai found her phone and called Ayako to see how the others were doing. She picked up quickly, "Mai, is that you?" she asked, "Are you both alright?"

"I think so… Naru said Kouta might be near the resort so I wanted to make sure you guys were alright too." She said.

"Don't worry about us. It was just a small attack. The only things that were broken were some cameras out near the groves and as you know, they're all insured… wish we could have saved more of the data though. Thanks to Naru we can't find the cameras that survived, but at least we have their tapes."

"Do you think Kouta did it?" she asked.

"Probably, but if not, whoever it was we've got them on tape. Kouta did come over with Natsume asking for Naru earlier today. It's strange, I thought for sure we were in trouble but he didn't even care that we were there anymore. All he wants is Naru… it's kind of creepy."

"Natsume wouldn't lead him here though!" Mai said, defensively.

"Sure she would. What other choice does she have? Anyway, Lin told them about the resort to save her the trouble. Now she's with the police and he's out there somewhere trying to find you guys. As long as you stay inside you should be fine."

"We were at the mall all day though. He could have followed either one of us inside!" she said.

Ayako paused but kept up her confidence, "Stop freaking yourself out. Besides, we're on our way through the traffic. Why don't you hang out in Naru's room until we get there?"

Mai thought it over before cracking her door open to look down the hallway. It was still eerily empty so she stuck her head back in.

"Alright, I'll go over now then." She said.

"Good girl. Just don't get caught, alright?"

"Wait Ayako, could you tell me something about the case?" Mai asked.

"What do you want to know?"

"About their child, the little girl."

"Harumi?"

"Yes. Naru said she was some sort of figment of imagination but…"

"You think she's real, don't you?" she asked.

"Maybe… Natsume said she had a miscarriage… but I'm not sure who I should believe. You don't make things like that up, right?"

"No, you're right. She had a miscarriage about seven months in for "_mysterious reasons_". I say it's Kouta's fault. He refuses to recognize her existence."

Mai sighed, "So that may explain one ghost. Did you guys find any more evidence?" she asked.

"Maybe, but then Kouta probably got to most of it. I did see one tape though. There were two kids out near the grove, dark hair, dark eyes… but Lin said they could have been shadows so we dismissed it. I bet if I tried going out there I could get some real information and then exorcise them, but Lin wants to make sure we know what's out there before we get rid of it. Natsume's orders."

Mai smiled softly, "Thank goodness, you must have seen the twins. I don't think both of them are ghosts so if you were to send them over to the other side Hiroki might actually die for real."

"Mai, Hiroki is already dead. You mean Chiaki."

"What?"

"Houshou and I visited the gravesite where they buried him. Chiaki survived, it was Hiroki who didn't."

"Well, how did he die?" she asked.

"Mystery…" Ayako sang lowly. She sighed, "You know, thanks for having faith in me. Next time you see Chiaki around, you better tell him to stay away from that grove. It's only a matter of time before we find evidence on the remainder of these tapes and then I'll have to deliver them to the afterlife. Don't forget to send the message."

Mai nodded. "I'll talk to you soon then. Hurry up and get here okay?"

They both hung up with a strange eeriness hanging over them. Mai played with her phone a minute before taking a breath and opening the door. She wasn't exactly sure where Shibuya was, but she knew it wouldn't be that hard to find him. She was right.

He stood before her door, his hand still about to knock. "I guess Natsume was right. You can read minds."

"Come in." she said.

"Actually we're about to leave."

"But what about—"

"Lin will come back for the rest. Right now, we need to leave before Kouta gets here." Mai glanced back at her room before she came out, shutting the door behind her. She followed Shibuya down the hall cautiously.

"You don't seem worried… he's coming to kill us, you know."

"No, not us, me. You'll be fine even if he find us."

"But—"

"The only reason he's ever come after you is because of me. That's why I told you to stay at the mall. I was going to pick you up out there because if he had found you, you'd be his bargaining chip. I can't gamble with your life."

Mai felt infinitely guilty. She looked away from him as they rode the elevator down into the lobby and continued to the parking lot. Not wanting to talk about it any longer she changed the subject, "Where are we going now?" she asked.

"The groves."

"What?"

"Lin would have gotten them himself but he can't find the cameras I hid."

"They're insured, why don't we just get new ones?"

Shibuya frowned slightly, "Because they're the only outdoor cameras we have for the rest of the case. We can't leave without proof so if what we have isn't enough we'll have to try again."

Mai sighed and made her way into the car. She sat in the front, looking out for Kouta as Shibuya drove away from the resort. Until the mountains had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon she watched them in awe of their beauty and then turned back at Shibuya who stole a lingering glance at her.

"I was kind of looking forward to going up on those mountains without your permission." She said, smartly. "Oh well, maybe on the next case we'll come back."

"You would want to come back? Even with all the bad memories?" he asked stoically.

"Well, they weren't all bad…" she replied. Shibuya smirked, but kept his eyes on the road. They were quiet for a short time before Mai turned to him again. "Should we tell the others?"

"No."

"But—"

"We should wait until the case is over." He said. She said nothing, so he continued, "…If you really feel the need to tell someone, tell Lin. Even if he believes you, he won't have anyone to tell."

Mai chuckled softly to herself. She started to look to the window again before she felt her hand being taken. She looked back at Shibuya who kissed it.

"Naru…"

"Stop worrying. I told you, he won't hurt—"

A crash. She felt herself pushed forward in the heat of the moment and then slammed back into her seat. Glass waltzed around before them sparkling like stars. The fear in her eyes met his in confusion. They were cold, harsh, but his emotions were not meant for her. Then, as if the life was drained from them his eyes shut in a brief instant of darkness where she swore she could feel their hands together still, tightening for a moment and then vanishing.

There was silence then. Snowflakes fell like glitter around her.

"You have to save him! You said you would trade me, Gene for him, but it's alright. Go back and save Naru!"

"Harumi, father likes to play with his victims. Mai has some time to spare."

"Time… no, I need to go back now…!" Mai said dizzily.

"Calm down. Let everything play out the way it's supposed to. Don't try to rush you may not wake up." Chiaki turned to Mai and smiled softly at her, "Take it from someone who knows."

"Chiaki, your brother…"

"Is waiting for me in the hospital. I know. But I feel like I owe you an explaination first."

Mai agreed and tried to relax.

"We were supposed to go together, my brother and I. After Harumi was murdered, we couldn't stand our father. He was always watching us, making sure no one said anything. Making sure we fell in line with this façade of a family. We listened to our mother cry for months until it was too much. So, I brought the rope and he carried the ladders to this grove. He went first but when I saw his struggling I backed out. I got scared. I tried to free him, but he was gone. I went back to call the police and then, seeing him hanging there I realized I had betrayed him."

"Wait…"

"So I took the ladder…"

"You can stop… I understand."

"And I climbed up to finish what we had started. When I started to lose consciousness I heard the sirens, the people coming after us, my mother screaming. When I tried to go back, I couldn't. I rushed. You have to be patient if you want to return, but know that you may not save him."

Mai looked away in silence. She sighed, waiting.

"Do you love him?" Harumi asked. "I've never been in love. Is it wonderful?"

Mai smiled at her, though she felt wilted and fatigued. She stared up at the snow and nodded slowly, "Yeah, I think so. That's why I want to go back… to save him."

"Will you promise to save him?" The little girl played with her pigtails.

"I have to. Either that, or die trying, I suppose. But how can I—"

"We can trade for a while. If I take over I think I can wake you up. Do you trust me?"

Chiaki smirked at his sister and crossed his arms, "You're ditching me." He mumbled.

Mai thought it over for a while before she nodded, "…Do it."

"Are you sure?"

"I have to. I can't leave him."

Harumi smiled mischievously and shot a look up above her. Mai turned over slightly and smiled again, "Gene…"

"I'll make sure she gives you back." he said.

Mai nodded as he knelt down to take her hand. His eyes met hers as everything faded to black.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author Notes and Disclaimers: I don't own the characters (anything really…) from the show ****Ghost Hunt****.**

**Chapter 13. A gift to my reviewers! ****Merry CHRISTmas!**

"You won't find them…" Shibuya said weakly.

Kouta looked around dangerously unstable. He raised his hand to strike him again, but Shibuya wouldn't flinch. He only stood there against a tree where he fought to keep conscious, staring coldly almost mockingly. Kouta cried out in anguish.

"You ruined what was left of my life. Don't you think telling me where the tapes are would be compensation enough? He asked.

"If you hadn't hit us, at the very least I would have humored you." He replied.

Kouta glanced back at their car at the start of the grove. He watched cars pass by, too afraid of the upcoming storm to try and stop to help them. He smiled, growing desperate.

"What about the girl? Don't you think she might need to go to the hospital? If you don't hurry up she could die." He said.

"If she dies out here then it won't matter if you get the cameras or not. I'll kill you."

Kouta laughed, pointing his gun to Shibuya's face, "And how do you plan on doing that?" he asked.

Shibuya stared at the gun, concentrating, yet trying to resist the urge to do anything that would cause him to use up anymore energy. He was weak from the accident, weaker from the growing chill. He looked again to the car, wondering about Mai. He said nothing, tried to think of something to do, but he could come to no conclusion.

"_I knew she'd be the end of me."_ He though with a smile.

"First, I want to go and make sure she's okay. If she is, I'll tell you."

"And if not?" Kouta bargained.

"Didn't I just tell you what I was going to do if she wasn't?"

Kouta glared, edgy and irritated. He took another glance at the accident and motioned him to walk with his gun, "Go… and don't get smart with me or I'll give you a real reason to complain."

Shibuya struggled to stand up right and started to walk back to the car. He craved revenge so much his heart began to give out, drowning in his own violent desires. When they returned to the car the road had hidden under the snow in horror. The van seemed to have been filled with air and then popped, each angle curved and crooked. Each shard of glass its own mirror. He almost lost his breath at the thought of Mai being inside.

The snow fall was getting heavier and heavier now. It was almost too much for him to bear but he held on until he could get to the van's front seat and pry the door open.

"Mai…? Mai!" his energy spiked suddenly, seeing blood, but not her body. He looked around for a trace of her before he turned again to Kouta. "What did you do with her?"

"What are you going on about?"

"What the hell did you do to her?" Shibuya shouted, _"I promised you wouldn't hurt her. I promised she'd be okay."_

"Listen kid, I used her as much as I could. Once I had you here that was the last time I needed her. If she's gone, it's not my problem." Kouta said, growing nervous again. "Now, tell me where those camera's are—"

Shibuya went towards him, furiously. His eyes were cold, heartless, but he stopped suddenly, being pulled back.

"Cut it out, she's fine." Mai said cheerfully. She took Shibuya's hand childishly and put it against her cheek. "And this is what it's like… to feel."

Shibuya stared as if he'd seen a ghost, "You're possessing her."

Mai smiled and walked past him, allowing her arm to stay linked to his until the last moment. She turned then to Kouta who pointed his gun at her unsteadily.

"You must be my donor. And also, my murderer, right? I should call you… what did she say…?" Mai rubbed her nose, thinking.

"Listen, I don't know how you got out of that van alive and I don't care. Get over there and find those cameras or I'm going to—"

"Father!" Mai said excitedly. "You're my father. I'm not sure why but I have to ask you once before I can leave. Why did you do it? What was wrong with me?"

Kouta stared, horrified and looked then to Shibuya who sat in the snow, tired. He smiled.

"What's going on?" he asked him.

"It's exactly what you think." He said coldly.

"Impossible!" Kouta pushed his hair back quickly and pointed the gun again, "You want to know huh? Well it doesn't really matter; you're not getting out of here alive anyway."

"Father, it was you wasn't it? I know your touch, it was colder, larger, and I could hear you yelling. Please, just tell me. I promise we'll keep it our secret, right Naru? You won't tell either, right?"

Shibuya frowned, "She even tells the spirits about my nickname." He grumbled.

Kouta laughed to himself. He put the gun to his side for a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "This is ridiculous… fine, _Harumi_, I killed you. There was no way around it. Your mother made me. I told her I didn't want children and the first time I let it go. I did, even though she had twins. Do you understand the torment of the cries at night, the screams for reasons that are incomprehensible? Then you came. She was doing it on purpose, so I had to show her she couldn't get away with disobeying me." He said, "It turned out to be a good plan too at first. You see, the boys couldn't live without you so they decided to go kill themselves out here in these groves. The only problem was that Chiaki survived and it's costing me more to keep him alive than it did for all three of you in the first place."

"So I was in the way…" Mai asked, despondently.

"Let's just say you should have never existed."

"So when you're in the way, bothering someone, tormenting them, or disrespectful. When you're hurting someone, eating away at their peace, you shouldn't exist. I shouldn't have existed." Mai rubbed her face with her scarf, painfully taking it all in. "I'm so sorry…"

"You should be. Now you're in the way again! If you want to be of use go find those cameras!" he shouted anxiously.

"I'll do you one better!" Mai said, uncovering her face to reveal a dazzling smile. "I'll take away your pain. You'll never feel a damn thing again… as if you ever did before…"

Kouta stared in terror, his face suddenly filled with dread. He put his hand to his heart and clenched his teeth in fright, dropping his gun.

"St—stop it Harumi… stop it."

"I want you to feel just one more thing before you die. It's the same thing I felt: your love. It's incredible, isn't it? It's overwhelmingly agonizing, but don't worry, it doesn't last long. Soon you'll feel nothing at all."

Kouta flinched, once and then again. He stared up at Mai who smiled tenderly at him despite the blood that dripped down past his blue lips. With something that resembled a breath he turned over and became still.

Naru himself was still now. He watched snow cover the ground only to be pushed down my Mai's fluffy black boots. She bent down, letting her scarf tickle his neck as she watched him.

"Are you done then?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was more angry than I thought. I won't cause anymore problems, I promise."

"You don't even understand what that means…" Shibuya said.

"I've been here a while you know. I may not have any experiences, but there are two things that I've had with me as long as I can remember… hatred," she paused sadly and then smiled again, "and love."

Shibuya glanced at her. He opened his mouth to speak but she pressed her lips against his, gracefully. In that moment among the cold he almost forgot she wasn't Mai. His heart raced then slowed, frigid and emotionless. When she pulled away she smiled at him with a warm blush.

"She's so lucky…"

"_That's enough. Leave him alone Harumi."_

As she looked away, Shibuya whirled around to face the familiar voice. It was his own face, his own blood, lifeless yet vibrant. He smiled and Shibuya smiled back.

"I heard you were hanging around, but you stopped visiting me, Gene." He said.

His brother smiled and held his hand out to help the both of them up. He turned then to the groves, _"I got bored with your attitude. Besides, Mai's cute. You'd do the same thing if you were in my shoes… plus, I wanted to make you jealous." _He said.

"Jealous of us?" Mai asked.

She inhaled slowly and at once, she fainted, resting in Shibuya's arms. Shibuya waited for her to wake up, and when she didn't he sighed disappointment and admiration.

Gene chuckled and nodded _"Of course Harumi, jealous of us."_

"_Did it work?"_ she asked, excited. _"Well, it's too late now. I'm about to leave. Come on Gene."_

"_Actually…"_

Harumi frowned slightly. She took his hand so not to lose him. Her pink cheeks grew pinker still as her eyes watered, _"You're not coming?"_

"_No, but you won't go alone. Just wait and Hiroki will go too."_

"_What about…" _Harumi looked to Mai and Shibuya.

"_Don't worry, they'll be okay. They always are."_

"Gene!" Shibuya called. He waited until Gene turned to him, "Stay away from Mai."

They both smirked through snow that drizzled rain and sleet. He looked away again, _"That's the thanks I get for helping her?" _He turned to Harumi again and disappeared within the sea of white.


End file.
